The Paragraph Quiz To Test Your Understanding

Read the paragraph and answer that question that follows.  This paragraph will be used for Questions 10, 11 and 12 A. 1Some companies have found that praise can result in improvements in workers’ behavior. 2Emery Air Freight provides one such case. 3That company announced the goal of answering all customer inquiries within ninety minutes. 4Each customer- service representative was asked to record, on a log sheet, the time it took to answer each call. 5If an employee’s performance improved, he or she was praised by the supervisor. 6Those who didn’t improve performance were praised for their honesty and accuracy in filling out their log sheets. 7Then they were reminded of the ninety-minute goal. 8A few days of such feedback led to impressive results. 9Customer-service representatives were meeting the ninety-minute deadline 90 percent of the time. The main idea of the paragraph is expressed in

• Sentence 1

• Sentence 6

• Sentence 7

Choose the general idea that best covers the specific ideas. Remember that the correct general idea will not be too narrow or too broad. It will describe what the specific ideas have in common. Specific ideas: horror, shame, disgust, fear The general idea is

• Emotions

• Calm emotions

• Unpleasant emotions

Choose the general idea that best covers the specific ideas. Remember that the correct general idea will not be too narrow or too broad. It will describe what the specific ideas have in common. Specific ideas: infant, toddler, grade schooler, teenager The general idea is

• Stages

• Stages of life

• Stages of youth

This is the same paragraph as above. Answer that question that follows. A. 1Some companies have found that praise can result in improvements in workers’ behavior. 2Emery Air Freight provides one such case. 3That company announced the goal of answering all customer inquiries within ninety minutes. 4Each customer- service representative was asked to record, on a log sheet, the time it took to answer each call. 5If an employee’s performance improved, he or she was praised by the supervisor. 6Those who didn’t improve performance were praised for their honesty and accuracy in filling out their log sheets. 7Then they were reminded of the ninety-minute goal. 8A few days of such feedback led to impressive results. 9Customer-service representatives were meeting the ninety-minute deadline 90 percent of the time. The main pattern of organization of the selection is

• Definition and example

• Cause and effect

• Comparison - contrast

Read the paragraph below and answer the question that follow.  This paragraph will also be used in question 14. 1In all but the smallest companies, more than one manager is needed to oversee the work of other employees. 2Companies usually form a management pyramid, with more managers at the bottom than at the top and each level having its own role to play. 3Top managers have the most power. 4An example is the chief executive officer (CEO), who sets goals and establishes company policies. 5Middle managers develop plans for carrying out the goals set by top management. 6Examples are plant managers and division managers. 7At the bottom of the pyramid are first-line managers, who oversee employees and also put into action the plans developed at higher levels. 8Positions at this level include foreman, department head, and office manager. The main idea of the selection is expressed in:

• Sentence 2

• Sentence 3

• Sentence 8

In the following group of sentences, one statement is the point and the others are support for the point.  Choose the point.

• Ravi arrived at work a half hour late because of a huge traffic jam.

• A pen leaked ink on Ravi's new shirt just before he had to go to a meeting with his boss.

• Ravi slipped and fell in the middle of the hallway in front of his co-workers

• Ravi is having a bad day.

Fill in each blank with the appropriate transition word or words.  For Questions 5-9, the same options will appear.  Use each word only once. 1Birds make certain sounds to communicate with their young. 2They also make calls that signal the presence of food. 3_____________________, birds cry out alarms to warn their flock to take to the air.

• After

• Another

• First

• In addition

• Later

Fill in each blank with the appropriate transition word or words.  For Questions 5-9, the same options will appear.  Use each word only once. Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner” in 1814. 2(He took the melody from an eighteenth-century drinking song). 3Over a century ___________________, in 1931, the song was adopted as the national anthem by the United States Congress.

• After

• Another

• First

• In addition

• Later

Fill in each blank with the appropriate transition word or words.  For Questions 5-9, the same options will appear.  Use each word only once. 1Before reading your first assignment in a textbook, acquaint yourself with the format and content of the book. 2_____________________, read the table of contents. 3Next, skim the book, looking for ways the author organizes information and highlights important points.

• After

• Another

• First

• In addition

• Later

In the following group of sentences, one statement is the point and the others are support for the point.  Choose the point.

• Millions of bacteria live and breed on human skin.

• Tiny mites live in people's hair and on their beds, feeding on dead skin.

• The human body is home to many different creatures.

• Microscopic work-like creatures live in the eyelashes of most people, enjoying the warmth and safety of the human eye.

 The main idea may appear at any place within each of the five paragraphs that follow. Choose the number of each main idea below. 1Blocking out your feelings may seem like a good way to protect yourself at emotionally difficult times. 2But psychologists report that people who keep feelings locked inside are likely to run into trouble. 3First, unexpressed emotions only deepen and become even more troubling. 4Also, people with buried emotions often have a difficult time relating to others and are afraid of being hurt if they open up. 5In addition, those hidden feelings may eventually find a harmful way to get out. 6For example, people whose feelings are blocked off are more likely to have alcohol problems, attempt suicide, or try to hurt others.

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2. The main idea may appear at any place within each of the five paragraphs that follow. Choose the number of each main idea below. 1Behavior experts think there are two main reasons why some people experience stress when buying clothes for themselves. 2First, anxious shoppers often don’t like the look of their bodies, and trying on clothes (especially in front of mirrors) makes them confront what they’d rather not think about. 3Second, these people are sometimes unsure about what image they want to project (studious? sexy? respectable?), so it’s hard for them to make clothing choices without feeling frustrated.

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• 5

Read the paragraph below and answer the question that follow.  This paragraph is the same as in Question 13 1In all but the smallest companies, more than one manager is needed to oversee the work of other employees. 2Companies usually form a management pyramid, with more managers at the bottom than at the top and each level having its own role to play. 3Top managers have the most power. 4An example is the chief executive officer (CEO), who sets goals and establishes company policies. 5Middle managers develop plans for carrying out the goals set by top management. 6Examples are plant managers and division managers. 7At the bottom of the pyramid are first-line managers, who oversee employees and also put into action the plans developed at higher levels. 8Positions at this level include foreman, department head, and office manager. The paragraph

• Defines and illustrates types of managers in a typical company

• Contrasts types of management pyramids

• Explaines the effects of various company organizations

The following group is made up of four sentences with an unstated main idea. Choose the answer that best states the implied main idea.

1. Many college students budget their time poorly and thus often feel anxious about unfinished tasks.
2. Students may feel so much pressure to do well that they work constantly, allowing little time for rest or recreation.
3. Cramped and crowded dormitories can be noisy and unpleasant.
4. Students may feel great pressure to act in certain ways in order to be accepted by a particular group.

___ The unstated main idea of these sentences is:

• It is important for students to allow sufficient time for rest and relaxation.

• College can be a very stressful experience.

• Some college students care more about social acceptance than their own standards.

• Learning to budget one's time is an essential part of succeeding in college.

 The main idea may appear at any place within each of the five paragraphs that follow. Choose the number of each main idea below. 1Few things are more boring than standing in line. 2Luckily, some ways have been found to make waiting in line more bearable. 3Airline personnel now use hand-held devices to look up customers’ information, scan or print boarding passes, and direct passengers to the appropriate area. 4One New York bank pays five dollars to any customer who has waited more than five minutes. 5Fast-food restaurants have found that timing the work of fast-food workers motivates crews to work more quickly, resulting in lines that move faster. 6Dividing tasks so that one person takes an order while another begins to prepare it also gets food to customers more quickly. 7In amusement parks, customers complain less when signs explain how long people can expect to wait. 8Also, live entertainment such as a magician or juggler cheers people waiting in long lines.

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• 3

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The main idea may appear at any place within each of the five paragraphs that follow. Choose the number of each main idea below. ___ 1. 1A character in a novel or a short story may be older or younger than you. 2The character may live on a farm, while you live in a city. 3The character may be living long ago—during the American Revolution, or in ancient Rome, or in the Middle Ages. 4The character may be male while you are female, white while you are black, rich while you are poor—or vice versa. 5Rarely do you meet a fictional character who is just like yourself, so when you read fiction, you must step outside the narrow boundaries of your own life.

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Read the three items of supporting evidence below. Then write the letter of the point that is most logically supported by that evidence.

• Many small movie theaters have closed because they could not compete with the large new multiplexes with many screens.
• Small corner bookshops have lost the battle with huge new bookstores.
• Neighborhood hardware stores have been forced out of business by giant “home and garden” warehouse centers.

Which of the following conclusions is best supported by all the evidence above?

• People enjoy the personal connection at small, local stores.

• Bigger bookstores have more books to offer than small bookstores.

• In recent years, very large businesses have forced many small ones to close.

• Some small theaters have managed to stay open by charging very low priced tickets.

This is the same paragraph as above. Answer that question that follows. A. 1Some companies have found that praise can result in improvements in workers’ behavior. 2Emery Air Freight provides one such case. 3That company announced the goal of answering all customer inquiries within ninety minutes. 4Each customer- service representative was asked to record, on a log sheet, the time it took to answer each call. 5If an employee’s performance improved, he or she was praised by the supervisor. 6Those who didn’t improve performance were praised for their honesty and accuracy in filling out their log sheets. 7Then they were reminded of the ninety-minute goal. 8A few days of such feedback led to impressive results. 9Customer-service representatives were meeting the ninety-minute deadline 90 percent of the time. One word that signals the pattern of organization is _________________________.

1Experts have blamed caffeine for bone loss among older women. 2But a university study of 138 older women found that caffeine had no such effect. 3In that study, women who drank more than five cups of coffee a day had the same bone density as women who got little caffeine.

• Bone loss among older women is not a problem

• The experts who blamed caffeine for bone loss may be wrong.

• Caffeine causes healthy bones.

• Some older women have experienced bone loss.

1Although lie detector tests are based on a sound principle, they are not always accurate. 2The test is based on the fact that people become emotionally “stirred up” when they lie. 3The lie detector can sense physical changes that accompany such emotional responses. 4But an innocent person may react emotionally to a key question. 5Thus, he or she appears to be lying when actually telling the truth. 6And criminals who lie often may feel no guilt about anything. 7They can therefore tell huge lies without showing the slightest emotional ripple on the lie detector. 8Without an emotional response, there are no physical responses to detect.

• Criminals never feel any guilt about their crimes.

• Lie detector tests are not foolproof.

• Anyone can easily fool the lie-detector machine.

• An emotional response by an innocent person may register as a lie on a lie detector.

1According to one joke, scientists are now using lawyers instead of rats in laboratory experiments. 2There are three reasons for this change. 3For one thing, there are more lawyers than rats. 4For another, the scientists become less emotionally attached to the lawyers. 5And finally, certain things are so disgusting that rats won’t do them.

• A lawyer must have made up this joke.

• Some people feel there are too many lawyers

• Lawyers have the reputation for being willing to do anything.

• Scientists have the reputation of socializing with lawyers.

Fill in each blank with the appropriate transition word or words.  For Questions 5-9, the same options will appear.  Use each word only once. 1Leaders have several qualities. 2Surveys have found that most formal leaders are above average in height. 3________________________ common quality of leaders is enthusiasm.

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• Another

• First

• In addition

• Later

After reading each passage in questions 15 - 18, put a check by the two inferences that are most firmly based on the given information. 1Up through the 1700s, many Europeans believed that a king’s touch could cure diseases. 2At his coronation in 1775, for example, King Louis the Sixteenth of France touched 2,400 of his ailing subjects.

• The touch of a king truly has special healing power others do not have.

• There had been other kings of France named Louis.

• French coronations were public events.

• The French suffered more illness than other Europeans.

Fill in each blank with the appropriate transition word or words.  For Questions 5-9, the same options will appear.  Use each word only once. 1A well-known psychologist suggested that humans seek to satisfy a series of needs, including those for food, sleep, and spirituality. 2Higher-level needs can be fulfilled only ____________________ the more basic ones have been met.

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• Another

• First

• In addition

• Later