Unit test 3
Part I: Vocabulary and Structure
Section A: Choose the best way to complete the sentences.
| 1. | Throughout history, many people have attempted to find the _____ secret to success, but relatively few have actually done it. |
| | | a. elusive | |
| | | b. evasive | |
| | | c. illusory | |
| | | d. eloquent | |
| 2. | It was hard for Cynthia to remain uninvolved with the controversy since she is such a _____ part of the company. |
| | | a. visibility | |
| | | b. risible | |
| | | c. visible | |
| | | d. visibly | |
| 3. | "Officer Clarke, in the best interest of the case, please consider absolutely everything to be at your _____." |
| | | a. dispose | |
| | | b. disposal | |
| | | c. disposing | |
| | | d. disposed | |
| 4. | The mountain climbers demonstrated a(n) _____ feat of selflessness when they turned around to help an injured stranger. |
| | | a. advantageous | |
| | | b. gorgeous | |
| | | c. outrageous | |
| | | d. courageous | |
| 5. | Many movie stars are notorious for wearing excessive amounts of expensive _____. |
| | | a. jewellery | |
| | | b. jewels | |
| | | c. jewelers | |
| | | d. jewelling | |
| 6. | Her novel successfully _____ an entire generation of young women to believe they could be whatever they wanted. |
| | | a. emboldened | |
| | | b. embittered | |
| | | c. empowered | |
| | | d. embroidered | |
| 7. | I'm not really a _____ of pop culture trends, so can you explain that reference to me? |
| | | a. flower | |
| | | b. follower | |
| | | c. fellow | |
| | | d. fallowing | |
| 8. | We just moved into town so we're still a little _____. |
| | | a. unsettling | |
| | | b. settlers | |
| | | c. settled | |
| | | d. unsettled | |
| 9. | The movie is fantastic, but you'll need to _____ your disbelief toward the end. |
| | | a. upend | |
| | | b. suspend | |
| | | c. depend | |
| | | d. misspend | |
| 10. | Don't _____ Jack's determination to do whatever it takes to win. |
| | | a. underestimate | |
| | | b. overestimate | |
| | | c. estimate | |
| | | d. misestimate | |
| 11. | As judge, I _____ over this courtroom and have the final say on all matters. |
| | | a. preside | |
| | | b. reside | |
| | | c. presume | |
| | | d. resume | |
| 12. | Please stay back! This is a _____ area! |
| | | a. constricted | |
| | | b. districted | |
| | | c. restricted | |
| | | d. unrestricted | |
| 13. | The moon shone down and cast a _____ glow over the entire field. |
| | | a. luminosity | |
| | | b. luminous | |
| | | c. luminal | |
| | | d. luminously | |
| 14. | The state dinner is a _____ affair, so please dress appropriately. |
| | | a. distinctive | |
| | | b. respectable | |
| | | c. dramatic | |
| | | d. formal | |
| 15. | Stock prices rose _____ after the company publically announced its new product. |
| | | a. dramatically | |
| | | b. magically | |
| | | c. loosely | |
| | | d. exclusively | |
| 16. | The colonists began to form a _____ in response to the unfair taxes. |
| | | a. rebel | |
| | | b. rebellion | |
| | | c. rebellious | |
| | | d. rebelling | |
| 17. | After striking the iceberg, the ship quickly sank into the _____ depths. |
| | | a. skinny | |
| | | b. preppy | |
| | | c. murky | |
| | | d. baggy | |
| 18. | I'm not a good typist, so I find it easier to _____ all of my emails. |
| | | a. dictate | |
| | | b. elucidate | |
| | | c. explicate | |
| | | d. exacerbate | |
| 19. | To accommodate increased traffic, city planners are going to expand the _____of the highway. |
| | | a. length | |
| | | b. height | |
| | | c. depth | |
| | | d. width | |
| 20. | Let's be proactive and do something instead of just watching the situation _____. |
| | | a. ameliorate | |
| | | b. collaborate | |
| | | c. deteriorate | |
| | | d. elaborate | |
Section B: Fill in each of the blanks with a suitable preposition or adverb.
| 21. | Things didn't quite turn the way I expected, but I'm still happy with the result. | | Your answer | Correct answer |
| | out | out |
| 22. | You can't fool me; I'm wise the way things work around here. | | Your answer | Correct answer |
| | to | to |
| 23. | My question sparked much discussion in the group about right versus wrong. | | Your answer | Correct answer |
| | off | off |
| 24. | They didn't know it, but they were playing right our hands the whole time. | | Your answer | Correct answer |
| | into | into |
| 25. | Leslie broke her argument into three main points. | | Your answer | Correct answer |
| | down | down |
| 26. | It was pure luck that we chanced the fossilized remains of the dinosaur. | | Your answer | Correct answer |
| | upon | upon |
| 27. | Our town was named the explorer who first discovered the nearby waterfall. | | Your answer | Correct answer |
| | after | after |
| 28. | After the ship sank, wreckage washed on shore for weeks. | | Your answer | Correct answer |
| | up | up |
| 29. | Some of the oldest headstones in the graveyard were completely worn so we couldn't tell whom they belonged to. | | Your answer | Correct answer |
| | away | away |
| 30. | The novel revolves a protagonist who is searching for a lost city of gold. | | Your answer | Correct answer |
| | around | around |
Part II: Banked Cloze
Questions 31 to 40 are based on the following passage.
Everyone's always told me that I should be a model. I have to admit, it does sound like it would be a(n) (31) lifestyle with lots of traveling, parties, and beautiful people. I think it could also be a great opportunity to assert my (32) and creativity. However, at my age, I'm not sure I have the experience or (33) to start a modeling career.
It takes more than a(n) (34) face to be a model. You must have a(n) (35) personality and always be ready to take risks and explore the unknown. You also need to have near infinite patience.
Many people are under the impression that the fashion and modeling industry attracts only very (36) people who only care about themselves. From what I understand, nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, there are some models who only care about their own appearance, wealth, and (37) surroundings, but the industry isn't (38) composed of this type of person. It's a(n) (39)fact that the fashion and modeling world has a strong (40) for all kinds of people—and I'm one of them.
| | Your answer | Correct answer |
| (31) | unstable | glamorous |
| (32) | individuality | individuality |
| (33) | credentials | credentials |
| (34) | stunning | stunning |
| (35) | glamorous | daring |
| (36) | superficial | superficial |
| (37) | lavish | lavish |
| (38) | exclusively | exclusively |
| (39) | inescapable | inescapable |
| (40) | lure | lure |
Part III: Reading Comprehension
Questions 41 to 45 are based on the following passage.
The debate over school uniforms is one of the most controversial issues affecting public school students. Though uniforms have long been a staple of private schools, they are still a rarity in public schools. This is not merely a debate over the aesthetics of fashion. Rather, this debate lies at the very heart of the politics of fashion.
What students choose to wear (and what their parents allow them to wear) to school consistently rouses strong feelings and animated discussion. Much has already been said in defense of and against school uniforms, and I won't belabor the individual points further. There are many valid points on both sides of the argument. Instead, I intend to explain why I personally stand in opposition to school uniforms and highlight the reasons why uniforms would serve very little purpose in our specific school district.
For the most part, students in our district are well behaved and don't approach any semblance of extreme behavior or expression. Administrators seem to be more worried about a potential escalation of student expression that so far has shown no indication of materializing. Principals and other district administrators are chasing shadows—they're looking to solve a problem that doesn't exist. Our district has no history of student activism, and there are only a few examples of flagrant violations of the existing dress code. In short, there is absolutely no precedent to believe that students will choose to begin acting out against authority through fashion statements.
School uniforms seem to be an inappropriate response to a nonexistent problem. It is an unnecessary exertion of power by administrators who don't know how to properly exercise authority. Let's take a moment to consider a hypothetical school district that is overwhelmed by student discipline problems. Would the institution of school uniforms be an appropriate response in that case? I would argue in the negative. Uniforms, by themselves, would in no way prevent students from expressing themselves or their views. Improper and unpopular behavior will not be stifled by a school uniform. It may actually make the situation worse, as resentment over the mandatory clothing would likely be great.
| School uniforms obviously interfere with students' right to self-expression—a right that should be protected in the public school system. In addition, mandating that all students wear identical (and unattractive) outfits enforces the message that conformity is the preferred method to prevent or resolve conflict. This is certainly not an appropriate message for our schools to be sending to children. |
| 41. | This style of writing would best be described as _______. |
| | | A. expository | |
| | | B. descriptive | |
| | | C. narrative | |
| | | D. argumentative | |
| 42. | Of the following, which is the most likely place you would find this article? |
| | | A. Newspaper editorial. | |
| | | B. Academic journal. | |
| | | C. Fashion blog. | |
| | | D. Education magazine. | |
| 43. | According to the author, which is NOT the reason why school uniforms are a bad idea? |
| | | A. They are a violation of students' rights. | |
| | | B. There is no justification for their use in the local district. | |
| | | C. They are expensive and many students can't afford them. | |
| | | D. They don't adequately address the problem they are intended to solve. | |
| 44. | In which paragraph does the author use a metaphor to describe school administrators? |
| | | A. Paragraph 1. | |
| | | B. Paragraph 2. | |
| | | C. Paragraph 3. | |
| | | D. Paragraph 4. | |
| 45. | Based on this passage, it seems likely that the author would never _____ the use of school uniforms. |
| | | A. suspend | |
| | | B. dictate | |
| | | C. empower | |
| | | D. condone | |
