Reading Comprehension

(1)

It is frequently assumed that the mechanization of

work has a revolutionary effect on the lives of the people
who operate the new machines and on the society into
which the machines have been introduced. For example,
(5) it has been suggested that the employment of women in
industry took them out of the household, their traditional sphere, and fundamentally altered their position in
society. In the nineteenth century, when women began to
enter factories, Jules Simon, a French politician, warned
(10) that by doing so, women would give up their femininity.
Friedrich Engels, however, predicted that women would
be liberated from the "social, legal, and economic subordination" of the family by technological developments
that made possible the recruitment of "the whole female
(15) sex...into public industry." Observers thus differed
concerning the social desirability of mechanization's
effects, but they agreed that it would transform women's
lives.
Historians, particularly those investigating the history
(20) of women, now seriously question this assumption of
transforming power. They conclude that such dramatic
technological innovations as the spinning jenny, the
sewing machine, the typewriter, and the vacuum cleaner
have not resulted in equally dramatic social changes in
(25) women's economic position or in the prevailing evaluation of women's work. The employment of young
women in textile mills during the Industrial Revolution
was largely an extension of an older pattern of employment of young, single women as domestics. It was not
(30) the change in office technology, but rather the separation of secretarial work, previously seen as an apprenticeship for beginning managers, from administrative
work that in the 1880's created a new class of "deadend" jobs, thenceforth considered "women's work." The
(35) increase in the numbers of married women employed
outside the home in the twentieth century had less to do
with the mechanization of housework and an increase in
leisure time for these women than it did with their own
economic necessity and with high marriage rates that
(40) shrank the available pool of single women workers,

previously, in many cases, the only women employers

would hire.
Women's work has changed considerably in the past
200 years, moving from the household to the office or
(45) the factory, and later becoming mostly white-collar
instead of blue-collar work. Fundamentally, however,
the conditions under which women work have changed
little since before the Industrial Revolution: the segregation of occupations by gender, lower pay for women
(50) as a group, jobs that require relatively low levels of skill
and offer women little opportunity for advancement
all persist, while women's household labor remains
demanding. Recent historical investigation has led to a
major revision of the notion that technology is always
(55) inherently revolutionary in it effects on society. Mechanization may even have slowed any change in the traditional position of women both in the labor market and
in the home.
1. Which of the following statements best summarizes the main idea of the passage?
The effects of the mechanization of women's work have not borne out the
frequently held assumption that new technology is inherently revolutionary.
Recent studies have shown that mechanization revolutionizes a society's traditional
values and the customary roles of its members.
Mechanization has caused the nature of women's work to change since the
Industrial Revolution.
The mechanization of work creates whole new classes of jobs that did not
previously exist.
The mechanization of women's work, while extremely revolutionary in its effects,
has not, on the whole, had the deleterious effects that some critics had feare

Passage
Woodrow Wilson won his first office in 1910 when he was elected governor of New
Jersey. Two years later he was elected president in one of the most rapid political rises in
our history. For a while Wilson had practiced law but found it both boring and
unprofitable; then he became a political scientist and finally president of Princeton
University. He did an outstanding job at Princeton, but when he was asked by the

Democratic boss of New Jersey, Jim Smith, to run for governor, Wilson readily accepted
because his position at Princeton was becoming untenable.
Until 1910, Wilson seemed to be a conservative Democrat in the Grover Cleveland
tradition. He had denounced Bryan in 1896 and had voted for the National Democratic
candidate who supported gold. In fact, when the Democratic machine first pushed
Wilson's nomination in 1912, the young New Jersey progressives wanted no part of him.
Wilson later assured them that he would champion the progressive cause, and so they
decided to work for his election. It is easy to accuse Wilson of political expediency, but it
is entirely possible that by 1912 he had changed his views as had countless other
Americans. While governor of New Jersey, he carried out his election pledges by
enacting an impressive list of reforms.
Wilson secured the Democratic nomination on the forty-sixth ballot. In the general
campaign, Wilson emerged as the middle-of-the-road candidate - between the
conservative William H. Taft and the more radical Theodore Roosevelt. Wilson called his
program the New Freedom, which he said was the restoration of free competition as it
had existed before the growth of the trusts. In contrast, Theodore Roosevelt was
advocating a New Nationalism, which seemed to call for massive federal intervention in
the economic life of the nation. Wilson felt that the trusts should be destroyed, but he
made a distinction between a trust and legitimately successful big business. Theodore
Roosevelt, on the other hand, accepted the trusts as inevitable but said that the
government should regulate them by establishing a new regulatory agency.

Sample 1
Always look for the main point of the passage. There are many ways to ask about the
main point of a passage. What is the main idea? What is the best title? What is the
author's purpose?
1. The author's main purpose in writing this passage is to
A. argue that Wilson is one of the great U.S. presidents.
B. survey the difference between Wilson, Taft, and Roosevelt.
C. explain Wilson's concept of the New Freedom.
D. discuss some major events of Wilson's career.
E. suggest reasons that Wilson's presidency may have started World War I.
The best answer is D. Choices A and E are irrelevant to the information in the passage,
and choices B and C mention secondary purposes rather than the primary one.

Sample 2

Some information is not directly stated in the passage but can be gleaned by reading
between the lines. This implied information can be valuable in answering some questions.
2. The author implies which of the following about the New Jersey progressives?
A. They did not support Wilson after he was governor.
B. They were not conservative Democrats.
C. They were more interested in political expediency than in political causes or
reforms.
D. Along with Wilson, they were supporters of Bryan in 1896.
E. They particularly admired Wilson's experience as president of
Princeton University.
The best choice is B. In the second paragraph, Wilson's decision to champion the
progressive cause after 1912 is contrasted with his earlier career, when he seemed to be a
conservative Democrat. Thus, you may conclude that the progressives, whom Wilson
finally joined, were not conservative Democrats, as was Wilson earlier in his career.
Choices A and D contradict information in the paragraph, and choices C and E are not
suggested by any information given in the passage.

Sample 3
Watch for important conclusions or information that might support a conclusion.
3. The passage supports which of the following conclusions about the progress of
Wilson's political career?
A. Few politicians have progressed so rapidly toward the attainment of higher office.
B. Failures late in his career caused him to be regarded as a president who regressed
instead of progressed.
C. Wilson encountered little opposition after he determined to seek the presidency.
D. The League of Nations marked the end of Wilson's reputation as a strong leader.
E. Wilson's political allies were Bryan and Taft.
The best choice is A. This choice is explicitly supported by the second sentence in
paragraph 1, in which you are told that Wilson was elected president in one of the most
rapid political rises in our history.

Sample 4

Understand the meaning and possible reason for using certain words or phrases in the
passage. And take advantage of the line numbers given.
4. In the statement "Wilson readily accepted because his position at Princeton was
becoming untenable" (line 7), the meaning of "untenable" is probably which of the
following?
A. Unlikely to last for years
B. Filled with considerably less tension
C. Difficult to maintain or continue
D. Filled with achievement that would appeal to voters
E. Something he did not have a tenacious desire to continue
The best choice is C. On any reading comprehension test, it is best to be alert to the
positive and negative connotations of words and phrases in each passage, as well as in the
questions themselves. In the case of untenable, the prefix un- suggests that the word has a
negative connotation. The context in which the word occurs does so as well. Wilson left
his position at Princeton; therefore, you may conclude that the position was somehow
unappealing. Only two of the answer choices, C and E, provide a negative definition.
Although choice E may attract your attention because tenacious looks similar to tenable,
the correct choice is C, which is the conventional definition of untenable.

Sample 5
Your answer choice must be supported by information either stated or implied in the
passage. Eliminate those choices that are not supported by the passage.
5. According to the passage, which of the following was probably true about the
presidential campaign of 1912?
A. Woodrow Wilson won the election by an overwhelming majority.
B. The inexperience of Theodore Roosevelt accounted for his radical position.
C. Wilson was unable to attract two-thirds of the votes but won anyway.
D. There were three nominated candidates for the presidency.
E. Wilson's New Freedom did not represent Democratic interests.
The best choice is D. Choices A, B, and C contain information that is not addressed in the
passage. You may eliminate them as irrelevant. Choice E contradicts the fact that Wilson
was a Democratic candidate. The discussion of Taft and Roosevelt as the candidates who
finally ran against Wilson for the presidency supports choice D.

But man is not destined to vanish. He can be killed, but he cannot be destroyed, because
his soul is deathless and his spirit is irrepressible. Therefore, though the situation seems
dark in the context of the confrontation between the superpowers, the silver lining is
provided by amazing phenomenon that the very nations which have spent incalculable
resources and energy for the production of deadly weapons are desperately trying to find
out how they might never be used. They threaten each other, intimidate each other and go
to the brink, but before the total hour arrives they withdraw from the brink.
1. The main point from the author's view is that
A. Man's soul and spirit can not be destroyed by superpowers.
B. Man's destiny is not fully clear or visible.
C. Man's soul and spirit are immortal.
D. Man's safety is assured by the delicate balance of power in terms of
nuclear weapons.
E. Human society will survive despite the serious threat of total annihilation.
Ans : E
2. The phrase 'Go to the brink' in the passage means
A. Retreating from extreme danger.
B. Declare war on each other.
C. Advancing to the stage of war but not engaging in it.
D. Negotiate for peace.
E. Commit suicide.
Ans : C
3. In the author's opinion
A. Huge stockpiles of destructive weapons have so far saved mankind from a
catastrophe.
B. Superpowers have at last realized the need for abandoning the production
of lethal weapons.
C. Mankind is heading towards complete destruction.
D. Nations in possession of huge stockpiles of lethal weapons are trying hard
to avoid actual conflict.
E. There is a Silverlining over the production of deadly weapons.
Ans : D

4. 'Irrepressible' in the second line means

A. incompatible
B. strong
C. oppressive
D. unrestrainable
E. unspirited
Ans : D
5. A suitable title for the above passage is
A. Destruction of mankind is in evitable.
B. Man's desire to survive inhibits use of deadly weapons.
C. Mounting cost of modern weapons.
D. Threats and intimidation between super powers.
E. Cowardly retreat by man
Ans : B

Researches suggest that there are creatures that do not know what light means at the bottom of the sea.
They don't have either eyes or ears; they can only feel. There is no day or night for them. There are no
winters, no summers, no sun, no moon, and no stars. It is as if a child spent its life in darkness in bed, with
nothing to see or hear. How different our own life is! Sight shows us the ground beneath our feet and the
heavens above us - the sun, moon, and stars, shooting stars, lightning, and the sunset. It shows us day and
night. We are able to hear voices, the sound of the sea, and music. We feel, we taste, we smell. How
fortunate we are!

1. Judging from the passage, we can say that this story is mainly about ............ .
a) life of sea creatures at the bottom of the sea
b) how changes in the seasons are perceived by the deep-sea creatures
c) how wonderful our lives were and will be
d) the differences among creatures of the earth and those of the sea
e) the superiority of human beings over some creatures in terms of senses

2. We discover that the sea creatures in the story ................ .

a) have the same senses that we do
b) have no sense of hearing as well as sight
c) hear the sounds of the ocean
d) live in darkness because no light reaches to the bottom
e) do not hear the sound of sea as they are accustomed to it

3. In the passage a child in darkness is likened to ................ .

a) someone who lives where there are no seasons
b) an animal without the sense of touch
c) a sea creature with no seeing or hearing ability
d) a deaf child unaffected by the environment
e) a perfect sleeper, for there is no sound around to hear