1.
The following passage is taken from Barchester Towers, Anthony Trollope's novel set in the fictional cathedral town of Barchester, to which the family of Dr. Stanhope, a clergyman newly assigned to the cathedral, has just moved.
The great family characteristic of the
Stanhopes might probably be said to be
heartlessness, but this want of feeling was,
in most of them, accompanied by so great
(5) an amount of good nature as to make itself
but little noticeable to the world. They were
so prone to oblige their neighbors that their
neighbors failed to perceived how indifferent
to them was the happiness and well-being
(10) of those around them. The Stanhopes would
visit you in your sickness (provided it were
not contagious), would bring you oranges,
French novels, and the last new bit of scandal,
and then hear of your death or your recovery
(15) with an equally indifferent composure. Their
conduct to each other was the same as to the
world; they bore and forbore; and there was
sometimes, as will be seen, much necessity for
forbearing; but their love among themselves
(20) rarely reached above this. It is astonishing
how much each of the family was able to do,
and how much each did, to prevent the well-
being of the other four.
(The elder daughter) Charlotte Stanhope
(25) was at this time about thirty-five years old;
and, whatever may have been her faults,
she had none of those that belong to old
young ladies. She neither dressed young, nor
talked young, nor indeed looked young. She
(30) appeared to be perfectly content with her
time of life, and in no way affected the graces
of youth. She was a fine young woman; and
had she been a man, would have been a fine
young man. All that was done in the house,
(35) and was not done by servants, was done by
her. She gave the orders, paid the bills, hired
and dismissed the domestics, made the tea,
carved the meat, and managed everything
in the Stanhope household. She, and she
(40) alone, could ever induce her father to look
into the state of his worldly concerns. She,
and she alone, could in any degree control
the absurdities of her sister. She, and she alone,
prevented the whole family from falling into
(45) utter disrepute and beggary. It was by her
advice that they now found themselves very
unpleasantly situated in Barchester.
So far, the character of Charlotte Stanhope
is not unprepossessing. But it remains to be
(50) said, that the influence that she had in her
family, though it had been used to a certain
extent for their worldly well-being, had not
been used to their real benefit, as it might
have been. She had aided her father in
(55) his indifference to his professional duties,
counseling him that his livings were as much
his individual property as the estates of his
elder brother were the property of that worthy
peer. She had for years past stifled every
(60) little rising wish for a return to England that
the reverend doctor had from time to time
expressed. She had encouraged her mother
in her idleness in order that she herself might
be mistress and manager of the Stanhope
(65) household. She had encouraged and fostered
the follies of her sister, though she was always
willing, and often able, to protect her from
their probable result. She had done her best,
and had thoroughly succeeded in spoiling
(70) her brother, and turning him loose upon the
world an idle man without a profession, and
without a shilling that he could call his own.
Miss Stanhope was a clever woman, able to
talk on most subjects, and quite indifferent as
(75) to what the subject was. She prided herself on
her freedom from English prejudice, and she
might have added, from feminine delicacy. On
religion she was a pure freethinker, and with
much want of true affection, delighted to
(80) throw out her own views before the troubled
mind of her father. To have shaken what
remained of his Church of England faith would
have gratified her much; but the idea of his
abandoning his preferment in the church had
(85) never once presented itself to her mind. How
could he indeed, when he had no income
from any other source?
Questions preview to keep in mind as you read: Remember that on the actual test, you will be able to answer questions in any order you like, and you will be able to annotate the passage as well. Here, unfortunately, there is no back button, so please answer questions in order. Thank you.
1. The main purpose of the passage is to...
2. As used in line 3, "want" most nearly means ...
3. In lines 10-15 ("The Stanhopes would visit ... indifferent composure"), what is the most likely reason the author inserts the parenthetic comment "(provided it were not contagious)"?
4. According to the opening paragraph, the Stanhopes' behavior to members of their family ...
5. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?
6. The tone of the passage is best described as ...
7. On the basis of the passage, which of the following statements about Dr. Stanhope can most reasonably be made?
8. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?
9. The narrator indicates that the effect of Charlotte's influence on her brother's upbringing was his becoming ...
10. As used in line 78, "pure" most nearly means ...
11. The passage suggests that Charlotte possesses all of the following characteristics EXCEPT ...
2.
The main purpose of the passage is to
A. 
Explain the reasons behind a family’s return to England
B. 
Describe a main character’s moral and intellectual temperament
C. 
Analyze family dynamics in an aristocratic society
D. 
Draw a contrast between a virtuous daughter and her disreputable family
3.
As used in line 3, “want” most nearly means
A. 
B. 
C. 
D. 
4.
In lines 10-15 (“The Stanhope would visit...indifferent composure”), what is the most likely reason the author inserts parenthetic comment “(provided it were not contagious)”?
A. 
To demonstrate the extreme fear of infectious disease in the period
B. 
To emphasize how little the Stanhopes actually cared for their sick neighbors
C. 
To commend the Stanhopes for their prudence in avoiding contagion
D. 
To offer an excuse for the Stanhopes’ failure to visit their friends
5.
According to the opening paragraph, the Stanhopes’ behavior to members of their family
A. 
Reflected a real concern for the well-being of their close relatives
B. 
Was markedly more loving than their behavior to those outside the family
C. 
Showed the same lack of affection that typified their conduct to their neighbors
D. 
Included visiting them with books and gifts of fresh fruit when they fell ill
6.
Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?
A. 
Lines 1-6 (“The great...world”)
B. 
Lines 6-10 (“They...them”)
C. 
Lines 10-15 (“The Stanhopes...composure”)
D. 
Lines 15-20 (“Their conduct...this”)
7.
The tone of the passage is best described as
A. 
Self-righteous and moralistic
B. 
C. 
Sympathetic and sentimental
D. 
Indifferent and unfeeling
8.
On the basis of the passage, which of the following statements about Dr. Stanhope can most reasonably be made?
A. 
He is even more indolent than his wife
B. 
He resents having surrendered his authority to his daughter
C. 
He feels remorse for his professional misconduct
D. 
He has little left of his initial religious belief
9.
Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?
A. 
Lines 39-41 (“She...concerns”)
B. 
Lines 54-59 (“She had...peer”)
C. 
Lines 59-62 (“She had...expressed”)
D. 
Lines 77-85 (“On...mind”)
10.
The narrator indicates that the effect of Charlotte’s influence on her brother’s upbringing was his becoming
A. 
B. 
C. 
D. 
11.
As used in line 78, “pure” most nearly means
A. 
B. 
C. 
D. 
12.
The passage suggests that Charlotte possesses all of the following characteristics EXCEPT
A. 
An inappropriate flirtatiousness
B. 
C. 
D. 
13.
The purpose of sequential or serial grinding was to enable paleontologists to
A. 
Dispose of redundant fossil specimens
B. 
Analyze the interior of fossil experiments
C. 
Create and encyclopedia of evolutionary theory
D. 
Avoid exposure to X-ray technology
14.
Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?
A. 
Lines 9-13 ("By repeating ... model")
B. 
Lines 14-15 ("But ... time")
C. 
Lines 15-20 ("By the 1980s ... inside)
D. 
Lines 20-22 ("In recent ... fossils")
15.
As used in line 30, "stubbornly" most nearly means
A. 
B. 
C. 
D. 
16.
The author indicates that, in comparison to serial grinding, modern methods of fossil analysis have tended to be
A. 
Less efficient and more expensive
B. 
More detailed and less damaging
C. 
Less time-consuming and less reliable
D. 
Longer in duration and more destructive
17.
As used in line 48, "coax out" most nearly means
A. 
B. 
C. 
D. 
18.
In making the assertion that "the discoveries are more than just pretty pictures," the author is attempting to
A. 
B. 
C. 
D. 
19.
The table contains information useful to answer all of the following questions EXCEPT
A. 
Which form of analysis would be most damaging to a fossil being studied?
B. 
Of the forms of analysis listed, which is the least expensive to employ?
C. 
Which form of analysis offers the finest level of resolution?
D. 
Of the forms of analysis listed, which was the earliest to be employed?
20.
Based on the table, which method of high-resolution scanning would be most appropriate for use by a paleontologist in need of speedy results?
A. 
B. 
Synchrotron-based tomography
C. 
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
D. 
21.
The results of Cunnigham's study of rocks from the Doushantuo formation in China can best be described as
A. 
B. 
C. 
D.