Text Structure Practice 1

On March 3, 1933 Franklin Delano Roosevelt was sworn in as the 32nd President of the United States after a landslide victory over Herbert Hoover. The country was in a major depression that required quick action. This is a day of national consecration. And I am certain that on this day my fellow Americans expect that on my induction into the Presidency, I will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation of our people impels. What is the most likely reason Franklin D. Roosevelt chose to begin the Inaugural Address this way?

We take an additional risk by making it in full view of the world—but as shown by the feat of astronaut Shepard, this very risk enhances our stature when we are successful. What is most likely the meaning of "enhances"?

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short–cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint–hearted, for those that prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk–takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor — who have carried us up the long rugged path towards prosperity and freedom. For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops, and settled the West, endured the lash of the whip, and plowed the hard earth. For us, they fought and died in places like Concord and Gettysburg, Normandy and Khe Sahn. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions, greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction. What is the central idea of the paragraphs?

Rather, it has been the risk–takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor — who have carried us up the long rugged path towards prosperity and freedom. What is most likely the meaning of "obscure"?

Civilians look forward to the day when they can blast off into space. They fantasize about being in private spaceships designed to take them to their vacation destinations. This dream will not come true in the near future, but through the efforts of people like Burt Rutan, civilian space travel will become a reality. What message does the passage convey through the use of words such as "fantasize" and "dream"?

I believe we should go to the moon. But I think every citizen of this country as well as the Members of the Congress should consider the matter carefully in making their judgment, to which we have given attention over many weeks and months, because it is a heavy burden, and there is no sense in agreeing or desiring that the United States take an affirmative position in outer space, unless we are prepared to do the work and bear the burdens to make it successful. If we are not, we should decide today and this year. This decision demands a major national commitment of scientific and technical manpower, material and facilities, and the possibility of their diversion from other important activities where they are already thinly spread. It means a degree of dedication, organization and discipline which have not always characterized our research and development efforts. It means we cannot afford undue work stoppages, inflated costs of material or talent, wasteful interagency rivalries, or a high turnover of key personnel. New objectives and new money cannot solve these problems. They could in fact, aggravate them further—unless every scientist, every engineer, every serviceman, every technician, contractor, and civil servant gives his personal pledge that this nation will move forward, with the full speed of freedom, in the exciting adventure of space... What is the central idea of the paragraphs?

Which of the following statements best supports the idea that everyone who lives on or near a coastline should prepare for a possible tsunami?

A fuel cell is a kind of battery. It makes electricity. One side of the cell is filled with hydrogen. The other is filled with oxygen that comes from the air. The hydrogen separates into electrons and protons. The electrons supply the power for the motor. The protons mix with the oxygen to make water. The water passes out of the cell. What is the text structure?

Clouds get their names in two ways. One way is by where they are found in the sky. Some clouds are high up in the sky. Low clouds form closer to Earth’s surface. In fact, low clouds can even touch the ground. These clouds are called fog. Middle clouds are found between low and high clouds. Another way clouds are named is by their shape. Cirrus clouds are high clouds. They look like feathers. Cumulus clouds are middle clouds. These clouds look like giant cotton balls in the sky. Stratus clouds are low clouds. They cover the sky like bed sheets. Which of the following best describes the structure of the section “What Are Some Types of Clouds” ?

The sky can be full of water. But most of the time you can’t see the water. The drops of water are too small to see. They have turned into a gas called water vapor. As the water vapor goes higher in the sky, the air gets cooler. The cooler air causes the water droplets to start to stick to things like bits of dust, ice, or sea salt. Which of the following describes a cloud?

Edison was an inventor from an early age. As a teenager he worked at a railroad, and he converted one of the rail cars into a small laboratory. One day he was working on an experiment and accidentally set the car on fire. His boss fired him immediately! A few years later, while he was working at a telegraph station, he tried to invent a battery, but he spilled sulfuric acid on the floor. The acid soaked through the floor and dripped onto his boss’s desk below it. Once again, he was fired for his carelessness. What phrase below best describes Edison’s work during his youth?

Edison was 16 when he created one of his first successful inventions. He called it the “automatic repeater,” and it was a device that could send telegraphs to a station and save them until someone could come in and read it. In 1868 he moved to Boston to work for the Western Union Company. There, he invented a device that automatically counted votes for local elections. The government did not want to buy it, but it was Edison’s first ever patent.One year later he moved to New York City. He invented a more efficient ticker machine for the stock markets. Stock companies liked it so much that they paid him $40,000 for it. It was his first big success. Which of the following did Edison NOT invent as a child?

Edison set up a full laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey in 1876. He made one of his most famous inventions the very next year: the phonograph. The phonograph was the first machine in the world that could record and replay sound, and Edison became very famous for it. In 1880 he invented another world famous device: the long-lasting light bulb. He discovered a material to put inside the glass bulb that could burn for more than 1,200 hours. Edison had a dream to make electric lights cheap enough for everyone in the country to have, so he also invented a system to deliver electricity to houses. What did Edison’s life change while he was in Menlo Park?

hroughout his life, Edison continued to study electrical science and power systems, and he kept inventing. He created the motion picture camera in 1896. He was good friends with Henry Ford,5 and he invented a car battery and self-starter for Ford’s Model T car. So many people worked with him in his lab that Edison often had to act more like a businessman than an inventor. He became very wealthy from his inventions. Edison moved to Fort Myers, Florida in his later years, where he lived with his wife Mina and continued to be good friends with Henry Ford. In October 1931, Edison died of complications from diabetes. Which of the following did Edison NOT do later in his life?

Which of the following best identifies the central idea of the "Thomas Edison" article?