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SECTION 01 · Reading: separate texts

Reading

Choose a text number. Its questions will appear on its own page.

40 texts

Text 35Book 2 · Section 1 · 35 / 40

How to solve: ReadingA text with several questions: main idea, details, word meaning and inference.

What it tests

Careful reading: finding the main idea, locating details, understanding a word from its context and drawing conclusions the text supports.

In the exam: part I, 10 tasks.

Step by step

Read the questions first, so you know what to look for.
Skim the whole text once for its topic and the author's purpose.
For each question find the exact place in the text (line numbers help) and read the sentence before and after it.
Choose the option that says the same thing in other words — not the one that copies the most words.
For “main idea” questions pick the option that covers the whole text, not one paragraph.

Watch out for

An option that is true in real life but not stated in the text.
An option that repeats words from the text but changes the meaning (“always” instead of “often”, wrong date or person).
A detail that is correct but too narrow for a “main idea” question.

Example

Text: “It took 800 men seven years to build the bridge.” — The bridge was built in: a) one year b) seven years c) 800 days

b) The text says “seven years”; 800 is the number of men, not days.

Text 35

READING TEXT

The rattlesnake has a reputation as a dangerous and deadly snake with a fierce
hatred for humanity. Although the rattlesnake is indeed a venomous snake
capable of killing a human, its nature has perhaps been somewhat exaggerated in
myth and folklore.
The rattlesnake is not inherently aggressive and generally strikes only when it
has been put on the defensive. In its defensive posture the rattlesnake raises the
front part of its body off the ground and assumes an S-shaped form in preparation
for lunge forward. At the end of a forward thrust, the rattlesnake pushes its fangs
into the victim, thereby injecting its venom.
There are more than 30 species of rattlesnakes, varying in length from 20
inches to 6 feet. In the United States there are only a few deaths annually from
rattlesnakes, with a mortality rate of less than 2 percent of those attacked.

QUESTION 1

Which of the following would be the best title for this text?

a)The Exaggerated Reputation of the Rattlesnakeb)The Dangerous and Deadly Rattlesnakec)The Venomous Killer of Humansd)Myth and Folklore about Killers

QUESTION 2

According to the text, which of the following is true about rattlesnakes?

a)They are always ready to attackb)They are always dangerous and deadlyc)Their fierce nature has been underplayed in myth and folklored)Their poison can kill people

QUESTION 3

Which word is closest in meaning to somewhat in paragraph 1 ?

a)definitelyb)basicallyc)particularlyd)partially

QUESTION 4

The word it in line 5 refers to

a)natureb)rattlesnakec)a humand)reputation

QUESTION 5

The word posture in line 6 is closest in meaning to which of the following?

a)moodb)fightc)position ad)strike

QUESTION 6

It can be inferred from the text that

a)all rattlesnake bites are fatalb)all rattlesnake bites are not equally harmfulc)the few deaths from rattlesnake bites are from six-foot snakesd)deaths from rattlesnake bites have been steadily increasing

QUESTION 7

The word mortality in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to

a)percentageb)illnessc)deathd)survival

QUESTION 8

Where in the text does the author explain what people believe about rattlesnakes?

a)Lines - 1-4b)Lines - 5-6c)Lines - 6-8d)Lines - 8-10

QUESTION 9

The text does NOT discuss

a)the nature of rattlesnakeb)rattlesnake's bitec)species of rattlesnakesd)cure from rattlesnake's injection

QUESTION 10

The author's purpose in this text is to

a)warn readers about the extreme danger from rattlesnakesb)explain a misconception about rattlesnakesc)describe a rattlesnake attackd)clarify how rattlesnakes kill human