67. Michael’s compliments to his boss were ——– sincere, but Andrea correctly suspected they had more to do with his desire for a promotion than with his genuine feelings.

(a) ostensibly
(b) intuitively
(c) sporadically
(d) unequivocally
(e) predominantly

68. A judgment made before all the facts are known must be called ———.

(a) harsh
(b) deliberate
(c) sensible
(d) premature
(e) fair

69. Mobility has scattered families and ——— the continuities that once cemented local loyalties.

(a) fused
(b) eroded
(c) cradled
(d) perpetuated
(e) consolidated

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Passage

For a period of more than two centuries paleontologists have been intrigued by the fossilized remains of pterosaurs, the first flying vertebartes. The issues, which puzzle them, are how these heavy creatures, having a wingspan of about 8-12 meters managed the various problems associated with powered flight and whether these creatures were reptiles or birds.

Perhaps the least controversial assertion about the pterosaurs is that they were reptiles. Their skulls, pelvises, and hind feet are reptilian. The anatomy of their wings suggests that they did not evolve into the class of birds. In pterosaurs a greatly elongated fourth finger of each forelimb supported a winglike membrane. The other fingers were short and reptilian, with sharp claws. In birds the second finger is the principal strut of the wing, which consists primarily of feathers. If the pterosaurs walked on all fours, the three short fingers may have been employed for grasping. When a pterosaurs walked or remained stationary, the fourth finger, and with it the wing, could only urn upward in an extended inverted V- shape along each side of the animal’s body.

In resemblance they were extremely similar to both birds and bats, with regard to their overall body structure and proportion. This is hardly surprising as the design of any flying vertebrate is subject to aerodynamic constraints. Both the pterosaurs and the birds have hollow bones, a feature that represents a savings in weight. There is a difference, which is that the bones of the birds are more massively reinforced by internal struts.

Although scales typically cover reptiles, the pterosaurs probably had hairy coats. T.H. Huxley reasoned that flying vertebrates must have been warm-blooded because flying implies a high rate of metabolism, which in turn implies a high internal temperature. Huxley speculated that a coat of hair would insulate against loss of body heat and might streamline the body to reduce drag in flight. The recent discovery of a pterosaur specimen covered in long, dense, and relatively thick hair like fossil material was the first clear evidence that his reasoning was correct.

Some paleontologists are of the opinion that the pterosaurs jumped from s dropped from trees or perhaps rose into the light winds from the crests of waves in order to become airborne. Each theory has its associated difficulties. The first makes a wrong assumption that the pterosaurs hind feet resembled a bat’s and could serve as hooks by which the animal could hang in preparation for flight. The second hypothesis seems unlikely because large pterosaurs could not have landed in trees without damaging their wings. The third calls for high aces to channel updrafts. The pterosaurs would have been unable to control their flight once airborne as the wind from which such waves arose would have been too strong.

Question

1. As seen in the above passage scientists generally agree that:

(a) The pterosaurs could fly over large distances because of their large wingspan.
(b) A close evolutionary relationship can be seen between the pterosaurs and bats, when the structure of their skeletons is studied.
(c) The study of the fossilized remains of the pterosaurs reveals how they solved the problem associated with powered flight.
(d) The pterosaurs were reptiles.
(e) Pterosaurs walked on all fours.

2. The view that, the pterosaurs rose into light winds from the crest of the waves to become airborne, is viewed by the author as

(a) Revolutionary
(b) Unlikely
(c) Unassailable
(d) Probable
(e) Outdated

3. As inferred from the passage, the skeleton of a pterosaur is distinguishable from that of a bird by the

(a) Length of its wingspan.
(b) Hollow spaces in its bones.
(c) Anatomic origin of its wing strut.
(d) Evidence of the hooklike projections on its hind feet.
(e) Location of the shoulder joint joining the wing to its body.

4. From the viewpoint of T.H.Huxley, as given in the passage, which of the following statements is he most likely to agree with?

(a) An animal can master complex behaviors irrespective of the size of it’s brain.
(b) Environmental capabilities and physical capabilities often influence the appearance of an animal.
(c) Usually animals in a particular family group do not change their appearance dramatically over a period of time.
(d) The origin of flight in vertebrates was an accidental development rather than the outcome of specialization or adaption.
(e) The pterosaurs should be classified as birds, not reptiles.

5. According to the passage which of the following is a characteristic of the pterosaurs?

(a) The pterosaurs were not able to fold their wings when not in use.
(b) Like the bats, they hung upside down from branches.
(c) They flew in order to capture prey.
(d) They can be said to be an earlier stage in the evolution of the birds.
(e) They lived principally in a forest like habitat.

6. The organization of the last paragraph of the passage can best be described as:

(a) New data is introduced in order to support a traditional point of view.
(b) Three explanations are put forth and each of them is disputed by means of specific information.
(c) An outline of three hypotheses are given and evidence supporting each of them is given.
(d) Description of three recent discoveries is presented, and their implications for future study are projected.
(e) The material in the earlier paragraphs is summarized and certain conclusions are from it.

7. According to the passage, some scientists believe that pterosaurs

(a) Lived near large bodies of water.
(b) Had sharp teeth for tearing food.
(c) Were attacked and eaten by larger reptiles.
(d) Had longer tails than many birds.
(e) Consumed twice their weight daily to maintain their body temperature.

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64. It is ironic that the ——— insights of the great thinkers are voiced so often that they have become mere ———.

(a) original…cliches
(b) banal…beliefs
(c) dubious…habits
(d) philosophical…questions
(e) abstract…assessments

65. Some anthropologists claim that a few apes have been taught to communicate using rudimentary sign language, but skeptics argue that the apes are oly ——— their trainers.

(a) emulating
(b) condoning
(c) instructing
(d) acknowledging
(e) belaboring

66. Most people imagine organ fugues to be ——— and ———, due to their technical difficulty and challenging counterpoint.

(a) diminutive…uplifting
(b) harmonious…petrifying
(c) daunting…esoteric
(d) cacophonous…enchanting
(e) inscrutable…classical

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61. To prevent household fires, all flammable liquids, oily rags, and other ——— materials should be properly disposed of.

(a) combustible
(b) unctuous
(c) restricted
(d) diluted
(e) extinguishable

62. Mark was intent on maintaining his status as first in his class; because even the smallest mistakes infuriated him, he reviewed all his papers ——— before submitting them to his teacher.

(a) explicitly
(b) hastily
(c) honestly
(d) unconsciously
(e) meticulously

63. Because Jenkins neither ——— nor defends either side in the labor dispute, both parties admire his journalistic ———.

(a) criticizes…vitality
(b) attacks…neutrality
(c) confronts…aptitude
(d) dismisses…flair
(e) protects…integrity

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58. Although Johnson’s and Smith’s initial fascination with the fortunes of those jockeying for power in the law firm ——— after a few months, the two paid sufficient attention to determine who their lunch partners should be.

(a) revived
(b) emerged
(c) intensified
(d) flagged
(e) persisted

59. A war, even if fought for individual liberty and democratic rights, usually requires that these principles be ———, for they are ——— the regimentation and discipline necessary for military efficiency.

(a) espoused…contrary to
(b) suppresses…fulfilled through
(c) suspended…incompatible with
(d) followed…disruptive of
(e) rejected…inherent in

60. To test the ——— of borrowing from one field of study to enrich another, simply investigate the extent to which terms from the one may, without forcing, be ——— the other.

(a) rick…confused with
(b) universality…applied to
(c) decorum…illuminated by
(d) rate…superseded by
(e) efficacy…utilized by

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55. Although the feeding activities of whales and walruses give the seafloor of the Bering Shelf a devastated appearance, these activities seem to be actually ——— to the area, ——— its productivity.

(a) Destructive…counterbalancing
(b) Rehabilitative…diminishing
(c) Beneficial…enhancing
(d) Detrimental…redirecting
(e) Superfiuous…encumbering

56. In an age without radio or recordings, an age ——— by print, function gained its greatest ascendancy.

(a) decimated
(b) denigrated
(c) dominated
(d) emphasized
(e) resurrected

57. Scientists’ pristine reputation as devotees of the disinterested pursuit of truth has been ——— by recent evidence that some scientists have deliberately ——— experimental results to further their own.

(a) Reinforced…published
(b) Exterminated…suppressed
(c) Exterminated…relicated
(d) Compromised…fabricated
(e) Resuscitated…challenged

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52. The test of truth is not ——- , for we have often felt firmly convinced of many things that were not so.

(a) implication
(b) certitude
(c) originality
(d) impartiality
(e) moderation

53. The jellyfish’s slow pulsing action propels it in a graceful, seemingly ——— drift, but its tentacles contain a poison potent enough to stun a swimming human.

(a) sinister
(b) rhythmic
(c) murky
(d) harmless
(e) patient

54. Many of the misconceptions about Queen Victoria were created by those who ——— her most; in their efforts to ——— her as a model of all virtues, they lost sight of the real woman.

(a) esteemed…discredit
(b) idolized…disparage
(c) challenged…delineate
(d) admired…depict
(e) censured…represent

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Passage

The existence of mammals on the earth can be traced back to at least the Triassic time. The rate of development was retarded, till evolutional change suddenly accelerated in the oldest Paleocene. This resulted in an increase in average size, larger mental capacity, and special adaptations for different modes of life, during the Eocene time. Further improvement was seen during the Oligocene Epoch, with the appearance of some new lines and extinction of others. The Miocene and Pliocene times are especially significant as they mark the culmination of various groups and a continued approach toward modern characters. It is in the Miocene time that the mammals reached their peak with reference to variety and size.
The ability of the mammals to adapt to various modes of life finds a parallel in the reptiles of the Mesozoic time, and apart form their greater intelligence, the mammals apparently have not done much better than the corresponding reptilian forms. Undoubtedly the bat is a better flying animal than the pterosaur, but at the same time the dolphin and whale are hardly more fish like than the ichthyosaur. Quite a few of the swift-running mammals inhabiting the plains, like the horse and the antelope, must excel any of the dinosaurs. Although the tyrannosaur was a more weighty and robust carnivore than perhaps any carnivorous mammal, the lion and the tiger, by virtue of their superior brain are far more efficient and dangerous beasts of prey. It is significant to note that various species of mammals gradually adapted themselves to various kinds of lifestyles, some took to grazing on the plains and were able to run swiftly (horse, deer, bison), others started living in rivers and swamps (hippopotamus, beaver), inhabiting trees (sloth, monkey), burrowing underground (rodent, mole), feeding on flesh (tiger, wolf), swimming in the water (dolphin, whale, seal), and flying in the air (bat). Human beings on account of their superior brain have been able to harness mechanical methods to conquer the physical world and adapt to any set of conditions.

Such adaptation to different conditions leads to a gradual change in form and structure. This is a biological characteristic of the youthful, plastic stage of a group. It is seen that early in its evolutional cycle animals possess the capacity for change, but as the animal progresses in its cycle becoming old and fixed, this capacity for change disappears. The generalized types of organisms retain longest the ability to make adjustments when required, and it is from them that new, fecund stocks take origin-certainly not from any specialized end products. With reference to mammals, we see their birth, plastic spread in many directions, increased specialization, and in some cases, extinction; this is a characteristic of the evolution of life, which can be seen in the geologic record of life.

Question

1. From the following, choose the most appropriate title for the above passage?

(a) From Dinosaur to Man
(b) Adaptation and Extinction
(c) The Superior Mammals
(d) The Geologic Life Span
(e) Man, the Vanquisher of the Physical World.

2. According to the passage the chronological order of the geologic periods is:

(a) Paleocene, Miocene, Triassic, Mesozoic
(b) Paleocene, Triassic, Mesozoic, Miocene
(c) Miocene, Paleocene, Triassic, Mesozoic
(d) Mesozoic, Oligocene, Paleocene, Miocene
(e) Mesozoic, Paleocene, Eocene, Miocene

3. From the above passage, we can infer that, the pterosaur

(a) resembled the bat
(b) was a Mesozoic mammal
(c) was a flying reptile
(d) inhabited the seas
(e) evolved during the Miocene period

4. As inferred from the passage, the largest number of mammals were found in which of the following periods?

(a) Triassic period
(b) Eocene period
(c) Oligocene epoch
(d) Pliocene period
(e) Miocene period

5. Among the following statements, which statement, if true, would weaken the argument put forth in the first sentence of Paragraph 1?

(a) It has been found that the tryannosaur had a larger brain, than was previously known.
(b) Within the next thousand years, mammals will become extinct.
(c) Recently certain forms of flying ichthyosaurs have been discovered.
(d) It has now been proved, that the tiger is more powerful than the carnivorous reptiles.
(e) It is now possible to double human mental capacity, by the use of certain recently developed computers.

6. It is clear from the passage, that the evidence used to discuss the life of past time periods

(a) was developed by Charles Darwin
(b) was unearthed by the author
(c) has been negated by more recent evidence
(d) was never truly established
(e) is based on fossilized remains

7. As inferred from the passage, which of the following proverbial expressions is the author most likely to agree with?
(a) It’s a cruel world.
(b) All the world’s a stage.
(c) The more things change, the more they remain the same.
(d) Footprints in the sands of time.
(e) A short life, but a merry one.

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49. Recent renovations have down surprisingly little to remedy the ——— of the school’s gym: poor lighting, uncomfortable seats, and crooked backboards still ——— the experience of players and fans alike.

(a) deficiencies…ameliorate
(b) inadequacies…mar
(c) beauties…affect
(d) platitudes…tarnish
(e) qualities…amend

50. Contemporary novelist Alice Walker is quite the opposite of ——— ; through the ability of her heroines to rise above tragic setbacks, she expresses the belief that people can take charge of their own destinies.

(a) an optimist
(b) an idealist
(c) a moralizer
(d) a fatalist
(e) a competitor

51. Scientists are studying the birth and growth of thunderstorms to discover what causes the difference between showers that enable crops to ——— and ——— storms that cause floods and erosions.

(a) flourish…violent
(b) wither…damaging
(c) grow…harmless
(d) parch…severe
(e) multiply…essential

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46. The director’s movie was not conceived of as an instructional work, but purely as a ———, which he hoped would entertain audiences.

(a) collaboration
(b) diversion
(c) biography
(d) didacticism
(e) boon

47. In essence, the local government ——— the construction of the convention center with its decision to repeal the formerly harsh joining laws that blocked the center’s development.

(a) banned
(b) admonished
(c) shirked
(d) lambasted
(e) chartered

48. The documentary contrasted ——— criminals known for their vicious deeds with the ——— victims innocent of any wrongdoing.

(a) virtuous… vindicative
(b) notorious…sinister
(c) infamous…despondent
(d) righteous…inculpable
(e) malicious…faultless

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