Reading Practice set -2
Passage-1
Directions: Read the passage. Give yourself 18 minutes to complete this practice set
Harriet Tubman
Araminta Ross. the woman who later became the famous Harriet Tubman. was born into slavery about 1820. Although she was a hard worker. She suffered much physical abuse as a slave due to her independent spirit and refusal to be cowed by her situation. Even as a young slave she displayed a great sense of compassion for her fellow slaves and a determination to help. As a teenager. she tried to intercede when an overseer wanted to punish a young slave. The overseer threw a heavy iron weight at the slave when he tried to run away from punishment. But unfortunately the weight struck Araminta instead.rushing her skull and knocking her unconscious.Though she survived her injury. she would suffer the results of dizziness and seizures for the rest of her life.
In 1844. Araminta Ross became Harriet Tubman when she married a free black man named John and took his last name. changing her first name to Harriet in honor of her mother. After spending almost thirty years in slavery. she resolved to run away when she discovered a rumor that the slaves on her plantation were going to be sold. Her husband chose not to make the journey with her. So she set off with two of her brothers. but they became frightened by the risks and turned back. leaving Harriet alone to follow the North Star to guide her toward freedom. She reached Philadelphia and found work.which allowed her to save money that she would use to help others escape. Although Harriet herself was now free. she had left behind her large family. including her parents and nine siblings. Harriet managed over several trips to bring many of her family members to freedom. Harriet had heard about something called The Underground Railroad. a system of secret guides and hiding places to help runaway slaves travel to the freedom of the northern United States and Canada.. Using the network created by the Railroad. Harriet continued working with the Railroad to bring other slaves north.
1. The word compassion in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to
2. According to paragraph 2. why did Harriet Tubman decide to run away?
3. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 2 about Philadelphia?
4. The word siblings in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to:
Although she had never been formally schooled.and was in fact illiterate. Harriet displayed a keen intellect, which helped her in her mission. She cleverly planned slave escapes for Saturdays.knowing that this would give her a time advantage. as it was illegal to put up wanted posters on Sundays. This meant the soonest there would be notification of a missing slave was Mondays. giving her time to get her charges to safety. Although Harriet's deep compassion for her people spurred her in these rescues. she was tough when she needed to be. and was known to carry a gun which she brandished at slaves who tried to turn back. She knew that any slave allowed to turn back and who was caught would endanger the entire Railroad.
Tubman rescued more than 300 enslaved Africans over the span of 20 years. earning her the nickname Moses.‘ after the Biblical leader who delivered the Israelites from slavery. During her many trips. she
never failed to bring every enslaved person she was escorting to freedom. despite a $40,000 reward for her capture.[A] In addition to her rescue forays. Harriet had strong relationships with other abolitionists and social reformers and spoke out about the issues of her time.[B] She helped her dear friend John Brown raise funds for his famous raid on Harpers Ferry. though she did not participate because she was feeling ill, perhaps from the injury she had suffered as a teenager.[C] Not one to rest on her laurels. Harriet’s efforts to help slaves did not stop with the Underground Railroad.[D] During the Civil War. Harriet worked for the Union Army as a nurse. scout. spy and even as a soldier. In fact, during a raid on the Combahee ‘
5. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage?
6. The word this in the passage refers to:
7. Look at the four letters [A]. [B]. [C]. [D]. that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.
Her journeys back into the land of slavery were tremendously risky. and she used a variety of disguises to avoid detection.
Where would the sentence best fit?
Tubman rescued more than 300 enslaved Africans over the span of 20 years. earning her the nickname Moses.‘ after the Biblical leader who delivered the Israelites from slavery. During her many trips. she never failed to bring every enslaved person she was escorting to freedom. despite a $40,000 reward for her capture. In addition to her rescue forays. Harriet had strong relationships with other abolitionists and social reformers and spoke out about the issues of her time. She helped her dear friend John Brown raise funds for his famous raid on Harpers Ferry. though she did not participate because she was feeling ill, perhaps from the injury she had suffered as a teenager.Not one to rest on her laurels. Harriet’s efforts to help slaves did not stop with the Underground Railroad. During the Civil War, Harriet worked for the Union Army as a nurse. scout. spy and even as a soldier. In fact, during a raid on the Combahee ‘
8. The author uses John Brown as an example of:
9. The word laurels in paragraph is closest in meaning to:
10. Harriet Tubman served in all the following roles in the Civil War EXCEPT
Passage 2
DESERTIFICATION
The earth's climate is constantly shifting, and many regions that are deserts today were once lush. vibrant landscapes. The process by means of which verdant land becomes arid desert is called “desertification.‘ and it sometimes occurs naturally, but just as frequently it is the result of human activity. As a natural process. desertification occurs because of variations in climatic patterns, as rainfall levels transition over the course of geological epochs and precipitation levels fluctuate with shorter term meteorological patterns. Human activity that perpetuates desertification includes overgrazing, deforestation. and emissions of greenhouse gases, which cause global warming. Affected communities are often unaware that desertification is taking place until the process is well underway. because the effect of human activities on the environment can take years to become apparent. This delayed manifestation can make it particularly difficult for the perpetrators of desertification to comprehend the consequences of their behavior and correct destructive practices.
Humans have been causing desertification since the Neolithic era. when the earliest farmers depleted the nutrients in the soil of the Middle East's Fertile Crescent. turning productive land into barren landscape. Because the technology of cultivating crops was so new to them. they could not have known the ramifications of working the same piece of land continuously without taking steps to replenish its fertility. Successive successful agrarian civilizations learned to maintain the nutrients in the soil in order to keep it productive. But with the advent of the Industrial Revolution. taming became streamlined as well. and ambitious entrepreneurs intensified agricultural production. accelerating the impact of their industry on the soil and turning tracts of formerly productive land into desert. Desertification became a serious issue in the United States during the 19305. creating the “Dust Bowl' in the rural Midwest and causing millions of agricultural families to. |migrate westward in search of a livelihood. Today desertification is especially severe in China. where millions of acres productive. and severe windstorms blow soil that has been loosened by desiccation and erosion onto the streets of major cities. In Africa. as well. precious acreage is being lost to due to the harmful effects of haphazardly managed campaigns. as well as low-input agriculture. which depletes the nutrients in the soil without adequately replacing them
11. The word verdant in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to:
12. The word perpetuates in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to:
13. According to paragraph 1, why is the manifestation of desertification often delayed?
14. The word nutrients in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to:
15. According to paragraph 2, how did the Industrial Revolution affect desertification in the United States?
Humans have been causing desertification since the Neolithic era. when the earliest farmers depleted the nutrients in the soil of the Middle East's Fertile Crescent. turning productive land into barren landscape. Because the technology of cultivating crops was so new to them. they could not have known the ramifications of working the same piece of land continuously without taking steps to replenish its fertility. Successive successful agrarian civilizations teamed to maintain the nutrients in the soil in order to keep it productive. But with the advent of the Industrial Revolution. farming became streamlined as well. and ambitious entrepreneurs intensified agricultural production. accelerating the impact of their industry on the soil. and turning tracts of formerly productive land into desert. Desertification became a serious issue in the United States during the 19305. creating the “Dust Bowl' in the rural Midwest and causing millions of agricultural families to migrate westward in search of a livelihood. Today desertification 'is especially severe in China. where millions of acres productive. and severe windstorms blow soil that has been loosened by desiccation and erosion onto the streets of major cities. In Africa. as well. precious acreage is being lost to due to the the harmful effects of haphazardly managed deforestation campaigns. as well as low-input agriculture. which depletes the nutrients in the soil without adequately replacing them.
Desertification is costly and dangerous.both in the immediate localities where it transpires. and also for the planet at large. Loss of agricultural land threatens the food security and self-sufficiency of affected communities,compromising everything from long standing social structures and cultural conventions based on traditional subsistence agriculture to economic infrastructures. Public health suffers as individuals experience malnutrition as well as respiratory ailments stemming from an increase in levels of airborne particles. In addition. desertification can be a dangerously self-perpetuating process. as diminished rainfall causes communities to increasingly rely on underground water tables. depleting this vital resource and further contributing to the infertility of the topography.Desertification is a planetary issue because the loss of vegetation inhibits the landscape's capacity to absorb greenhouse gases. contributing to global warming and generating a feedback loop that leads to an even more dramatic rate of desertification.
16. Why does the author mention the Dust Bowl in paragraph
17. Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence?
18. The word diminished in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to:
Even when desertification is not being caused specifically by the impact of humans. careful land management can slow the spread of deserts and avert environmental degradation.[A] Preventative measures need to be taken at both a policy level. and at the level of individual action. Governments can offer their citizens incentives for careful land stewardship. and they can implement laws and regulations geared towards careful land and water management.[B] They can subsidize programs for planting ground cover. and enclose parcels in the process of rejuvenation.[C] In addition national governments have the resources to fund research that can provide invaluable information about effective land management. as well as the carrying capacity of particular ecosystems and microclimates.Individuals and communities can avert the process of desertification by coming together and pooling their collective knowledge and experience regarding the best ways to protect the integrity of their land. [D] They can alter their grazing and agricultural practices to focus on crops and rotational grazing systems the long range considerations and cognizance of the fragility and vulnerability of the landscape.
19. Look at the four letters [A], [B], [C]. [D]. that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.
In areas of sand dunes. for instance, covering the dunes with large boulders or petroleum will block the wind near the face of the dunes and prevent the sand from moving.
Where would the sentence best fit?
20. The word subsidize in paragraph is closest in meaning to