Reading Comprehension Practice Test 1

Questions 1 through 7 refer to the following passage:

In the 16th century, an age of great marine and near 50 degrees S latitude. Magellan named this
terrestrial exploration, Ferdinand Magellan led the first passage the Strait of All Saints, but today it is known
expedition to sail around the world. As a young as the Strait of Magellan.
Portuguese noble, he served the king of Portugal, but
he became involved in the quagmire of political intrigue One ship deserted while in this passage and returned
at court and lost the king’s favor. After he was to Spain, so fewer sailors were privileged to gaze at
dismissed from service by the king of Portugal, he that first panorama of the Pacific Ocean. Those who
offered to serve the future Emperor Charles V of remained crossed the meridian now known as the
Spain. International Date Line in the early spring of 1521 after
98 days on the Pacific Ocean. During those long days
A papal decree of 1493 had assigned all land in the at sea, many of Magellan’s men died of starvation and
New World west of 50 degrees W longitude to Spain disease.
and all the land east of that line to Portugal. Magellan
offered to prove that the East Indies fell under Spanish Later, Magellan became involved in an insular conflict
authority. On September 20, 1519, Magellan set sail in the Philippines and was killed in a tribal battle. Only
from Spain with five ships. More than a year later, one one ship and 17 sailors under the command of the
of these ships was exploring the topography of South Basque navigator Elcano survived to complete the
America in search of a water route across the westward journey to Spain and thus prove once and
continent. This ship sank, but the remaining four ships for all that the world is round, with no precipice at the
searched along the southern peninsula of South edge.
America. Finally they found the passage they sought
1. The 16th century was an age of great ______ 2. mountain range
exploration.
3. physical features
1. cosmic
4. islands
2. land
5. None of the above
3. mental
5. Four of the ships sought a passage along a
4. common man southern ______.

5. None of the above 1. coast

2. Magellan lost the favor of the king of Portugal 2. inland

when he became involved in a political ________.
3. body of land with water on three sides
1. entanglement
4. border
2. discussion
5. Answer not available
3. negotiation
6. The passage was found near 50 degrees S of
4. problem ________.

5. None of the above 1. Greenwich

3. The Pope divided New World lands between 2. The equator

Spain and Portugal according to their location on
one side or the other of an imaginary geographical 3. Spain
line 50 degrees west of Greenwich that extends in 4. Portugal
a _________ direction.
5. Madrid
1. north and south
7. In the spring of 1521, the ships crossed the
2. crosswise _______ now called the International Date Line.
3. easterly 1. imaginary circle passing through the poles
4. south east 2. imaginary line parallel to the equator
5. north and west 3. area
4. One of Magellan’s ships explored the _________ 4. land mass
of South America for a passage across the
continent. 5. Answer not available

1. coastline
The following passage refers to questions 8 2. lighthearted
through 14.
3. humorous
Marie Curie was one of the most accomplished
scientists in history. Together with her husband, Pierre, 4. strange
she discovered radium, an element widely used for 5. envious
treating cancer, and studied uranium and other
radioactive substances. Pierre and Marie’s amicable 10. When she learned that she could not attend the
collaboration later helped to unlock the secrets of the university in Warsaw, she felt _________.
atom.
1. hopeless
Marie was born in 1867 in Warsaw, Poland, where her
2. annoyed
father was a professor of physics. At an early age, she
displayed a brilliant mind and a blithe personality. Her 3. depressed
great exuberance for learning prompted her to
continue with her studies after high school. She 4. worried
became disgruntled, however, when she learned that
5. None of the above
the university in Warsaw was closed to women.
Determined to receive a higher education, she 11. Marie _________ by leaving Poland and
defiantly left Poland and in 1891 entered the traveling to France to enter the Sorbonne.
Sorbonne, a French university, where she earned her
master’s degree and doctorate in physics. 1. challenged authority

Marie was fortunate to have studied at the Sorbonne 2. showed intelligence

with some of the greatest scientists of her day, one of
3. behaved
whom was Pierre Curie. Marie and Pierre were
married in 1895 and spent many productive years 4. was distressed
working together in the physics laboratory. A short time
after they discovered radium, Pierre was killed by a 5. Answer not available
horse-drawn wagon in 1906. Marie was stunned by 12. _________ she remembered their joy together.
this horrible misfortune and endured heartbreaking
anguish. Despondently she recalled their close 1. Dejectedly
relationship and the joy that they had shared in
scientific research. The fact that she had two young 2. Worried
daughters to raise by herself greatly increased her 3. Tearfully
distress.
4. Happily
Curie’s feeling of desolation finally began to fade when
she was asked to succeed her husband as a physics 5. Irefully
professor at the Sorbonne. She was the first woman to
be given a professorship at the world-famous 13. Her _________ began to fade when she
university. In 1911 she received the Nobel Prize in returned to the Sorbonne to succeed her husband.
chemistry for isolating radium. Although Marie Curie 1. misfortune
eventually suffered a fatal illness from her long
exposure to radium, she never became disillusioned 2. anger
about her work. Regardless of the consequences, she
3. wretchedness
had dedicated herself to science and to revealing the
mysteries of the physical world. 4. disappointment
8. The Curies’ _________ collaboration helped to 5. ambition
unlock the secrets of the atom.
14. Even though she became fatally ill from
1. friendly working with radium, Marie Curie was never
_________.
2. competitive
1. troubled
3. courteous
2. worried
4. industrious
3. disappointed
5. chemistry
4. sorrowful
9. Marie had a bright mind and a ______
personality. 5. disturbed
1. strong