Test Prep GED Section 4 Language Arts - Reading Exam Practice Questions (P. 3)
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Question #11
How Are Robots Different from Humans?
[Helena is talking to Domain, the general manager of Rossums Universal Robots factory.]
DOMAIN: Well, any one whos looked into anatomy will have seen at once that man is too complicated, and that a good engineer could make him more simply. So young Rossum began to overhaul anatomy and tried to see what could be left out or simplified. In short but this isnt boring you, Miss Glory?
HELENA: No; on the contrary, its awfully interesting.
DOMAIN: So young Rossum said to himself: A man is something that, for instance, feels happy, plays the fiddle, likes going for walks, and, in fact, wants to do a whole lot of things that are really unnecessary.
HELENA: Oh!
DOMAIN:Wait a bit. That are unnecessary when hes wanted, let us say, to weave or to count. Do you play the fiddle?
HELENA: No.
DOMAIN: Thats a pity. But a working machine must not want to play the fiddle, must not feel happy, must not do a whole lot of other things. A petrol motor must not have tassels or ornaments, Miss Glory. And to manufacture artificial workers is the same thing as to manufacture motors. The process must be of the simplest, and the product of the best from a practical point of view. What sort of worker do you think is the best from a practical point of view?
HELENA: The best? Perhaps the one who is most honest and hard-working.
DOMAIN: No, the cheapest. The one whose needs are the smallest. Young Rossum invented a worker with the minimum amount of requirements. He had to simplify him. He rejected everything that did not contribute directly to the progress of work. In this way he rejected everything that made man more expensive. In fact, he rejected man and made the Robot. My dear Miss Glory, the Robots are not people. Mechanically they are more perfect than we are, they have an enormously developed intelligence, but they have no soul. Have you ever seen what a Robot looks like inside?
HELENA: Good gracious, no!
DOMAIN: Very neat, very simple. Really a beautiful piece of work. Not much in it, but everything in flawless order. The product of an engineer is technically at a higher pitch of perfection than a product of nature.
HELENA: Man is supposed to be the product of nature.
DOMAIN: So much the worse.
Karel C apek,
from R.U.R. (1923, translated by P. Selver)
According to the passage, why are robots better workers than humans?
[Helena is talking to Domain, the general manager of Rossums Universal Robots factory.]
DOMAIN: Well, any one whos looked into anatomy will have seen at once that man is too complicated, and that a good engineer could make him more simply. So young Rossum began to overhaul anatomy and tried to see what could be left out or simplified. In short but this isnt boring you, Miss Glory?
HELENA: No; on the contrary, its awfully interesting.
DOMAIN: So young Rossum said to himself: A man is something that, for instance, feels happy, plays the fiddle, likes going for walks, and, in fact, wants to do a whole lot of things that are really unnecessary.
HELENA: Oh!
DOMAIN:Wait a bit. That are unnecessary when hes wanted, let us say, to weave or to count. Do you play the fiddle?
HELENA: No.
DOMAIN: Thats a pity. But a working machine must not want to play the fiddle, must not feel happy, must not do a whole lot of other things. A petrol motor must not have tassels or ornaments, Miss Glory. And to manufacture artificial workers is the same thing as to manufacture motors. The process must be of the simplest, and the product of the best from a practical point of view. What sort of worker do you think is the best from a practical point of view?
HELENA: The best? Perhaps the one who is most honest and hard-working.
DOMAIN: No, the cheapest. The one whose needs are the smallest. Young Rossum invented a worker with the minimum amount of requirements. He had to simplify him. He rejected everything that did not contribute directly to the progress of work. In this way he rejected everything that made man more expensive. In fact, he rejected man and made the Robot. My dear Miss Glory, the Robots are not people. Mechanically they are more perfect than we are, they have an enormously developed intelligence, but they have no soul. Have you ever seen what a Robot looks like inside?
HELENA: Good gracious, no!
DOMAIN: Very neat, very simple. Really a beautiful piece of work. Not much in it, but everything in flawless order. The product of an engineer is technically at a higher pitch of perfection than a product of nature.
HELENA: Man is supposed to be the product of nature.
DOMAIN: So much the worse.
Karel C apek,
from R.U.R. (1923, translated by P. Selver)
According to the passage, why are robots better workers than humans?
- ARobots have a very simple anatomy.
- BRobots are more intelligent.
- CRobots are more honest and hard-working.
- DRobots do not have a soul.
- ERobots want things that are unnecessary.
Correct Answer:
D
Domain states that the best workers are those who are "the cheapest" and "whose needs are the smallest" (lines 40–41). To create a creature with minimal needs,
Rossum created machines with no soul, because the soul "did not contribute directly to the progress of work" — it made people want to play the fiddle, for example. Robots do have a more simple anatomy (choice a), but anatomy does not have to do with the needs that might distract a robot from work. Robots are more intelligent (choice b), but Domain clearly states that price, not intelligence, is the key factor. Helena suggests that honesty and work ethic are most important, but Domains statement contradicts this, so choice c is incorrect. Robots were designed so that they did not want anything that was not necessary, so choice e is also incorrect.
D
Domain states that the best workers are those who are "the cheapest" and "whose needs are the smallest" (lines 40–41). To create a creature with minimal needs,
Rossum created machines with no soul, because the soul "did not contribute directly to the progress of work" — it made people want to play the fiddle, for example. Robots do have a more simple anatomy (choice a), but anatomy does not have to do with the needs that might distract a robot from work. Robots are more intelligent (choice b), but Domain clearly states that price, not intelligence, is the key factor. Helena suggests that honesty and work ethic are most important, but Domains statement contradicts this, so choice c is incorrect. Robots were designed so that they did not want anything that was not necessary, so choice e is also incorrect.
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Question #12
How Are Robots Different from Humans?
[Helena is talking to Domain, the general manager of Rossums Universal Robots factory.]
DOMAIN: Well, any one whos looked into anatomy will have seen at once that man is too complicated, and that a good engineer could make him more simply. So young Rossum began to overhaul anatomy and tried to see what could be left out or simplified. In short but this isnt boring you, Miss Glory?
HELENA: No; on the contrary, its awfully interesting.
DOMAIN: So young Rossum said to himself: A man is something that, for instance, feels happy, plays the fiddle, likes going for walks, and, in fact, wants to do a whole lot of things that are really unnecessary.
HELENA: Oh!
DOMAIN: Wait a bit. That are unnecessary when hes wanted, let us say, to weave or to count. Do you play the fiddle?
HELENA: No.
DOMAIN: Thats a pity. But a working machine must not want to play the fiddle, must not feel happy, must not do a whole lot of other things. A petrol motor must not have tassels or ornaments, Miss Glory. And to manufacture artificial workers is the same thing as to manufacture motors. The process must be of the simplest, and the product of the best from a practical point of view. What sort of worker do you think is the best from a practical point of view?
HELENA: The best? Perhaps the one who is most honest and hard-working.
DOMAIN: No, the cheapest. The one whose needs are the smallest. Young Rossum invented a worker with the minimum amount of requirements. He had to simplify him. He rejected everything that did not contribute directly to the progress of work. In this way he rejected everything that made man more expensive. In fact, he rejected man and made the Robot. My dear Miss Glory, the Robots are not people. Mechanically they are more perfect than we are, they have an enormously developed intelligence, but they have no soul. Have you ever seen what a Robot looks like inside?
HELENA: Good gracious, no!
DOMAIN: Very neat, very simple. Really a beautiful piece of work. Not much in it, but everything in flawless order. The product of an engineer is technically at a higher pitch of perfection than a product of nature.
HELENA: Man is supposed to be the product of nature.
DOMAIN: So much the worse.
Karel C apek,
from R.U.R. (1923, translated by P. Selver)
Rossum created robots because -
[Helena is talking to Domain, the general manager of Rossums Universal Robots factory.]
DOMAIN: Well, any one whos looked into anatomy will have seen at once that man is too complicated, and that a good engineer could make him more simply. So young Rossum began to overhaul anatomy and tried to see what could be left out or simplified. In short but this isnt boring you, Miss Glory?
HELENA: No; on the contrary, its awfully interesting.
DOMAIN: So young Rossum said to himself: A man is something that, for instance, feels happy, plays the fiddle, likes going for walks, and, in fact, wants to do a whole lot of things that are really unnecessary.
HELENA: Oh!
DOMAIN: Wait a bit. That are unnecessary when hes wanted, let us say, to weave or to count. Do you play the fiddle?
HELENA: No.
DOMAIN: Thats a pity. But a working machine must not want to play the fiddle, must not feel happy, must not do a whole lot of other things. A petrol motor must not have tassels or ornaments, Miss Glory. And to manufacture artificial workers is the same thing as to manufacture motors. The process must be of the simplest, and the product of the best from a practical point of view. What sort of worker do you think is the best from a practical point of view?
HELENA: The best? Perhaps the one who is most honest and hard-working.
DOMAIN: No, the cheapest. The one whose needs are the smallest. Young Rossum invented a worker with the minimum amount of requirements. He had to simplify him. He rejected everything that did not contribute directly to the progress of work. In this way he rejected everything that made man more expensive. In fact, he rejected man and made the Robot. My dear Miss Glory, the Robots are not people. Mechanically they are more perfect than we are, they have an enormously developed intelligence, but they have no soul. Have you ever seen what a Robot looks like inside?
HELENA: Good gracious, no!
DOMAIN: Very neat, very simple. Really a beautiful piece of work. Not much in it, but everything in flawless order. The product of an engineer is technically at a higher pitch of perfection than a product of nature.
HELENA: Man is supposed to be the product of nature.
DOMAIN: So much the worse.
Karel C apek,
from R.U.R. (1923, translated by P. Selver)
Rossum created robots because -
- Ahumans are complicated and inefficient.
- Bhumans are not honest enough.
- Crobots are always happy.
- Dhe wanted to see if he could.
- Ethere weren’t enough people to do the work.
Correct Answer:
A
Domain tells us that Rossum "began to overhaul anatomy and tried to see what could be left out or simplified" (lines 4–6) because he thought "man is too complicated" (lines 2–3).He also states that the things humans like to do (e.g., play the fiddle) are "unnecessary" (line 20), and that "a working machine must not want to play the fiddle" (lines 26–27) if it is to be efficient.He does not question the honesty of humans (choice b) or mention anything about the robot’s level of happiness (choice c); infact, the passage suggests that the robots arent able to feel any emotions at all. Choice d is incorrect because Rossum had a specific reason for creating the robots. There is no evidence that there werent enough people to do the work (nor is there any indication of what sort of work it is), so choice e is incorrect.
A
Domain tells us that Rossum "began to overhaul anatomy and tried to see what could be left out or simplified" (lines 4–6) because he thought "man is too complicated" (lines 2–3).He also states that the things humans like to do (e.g., play the fiddle) are "unnecessary" (line 20), and that "a working machine must not want to play the fiddle" (lines 26–27) if it is to be efficient.He does not question the honesty of humans (choice b) or mention anything about the robot’s level of happiness (choice c); infact, the passage suggests that the robots arent able to feel any emotions at all. Choice d is incorrect because Rossum had a specific reason for creating the robots. There is no evidence that there werent enough people to do the work (nor is there any indication of what sort of work it is), so choice e is incorrect.
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Question #13
How Are Robots Different from Humans?
[Helena is talking to Domain, the general manager of Rossums Universal Robots factory.]
DOMAIN: Well, any one whos looked into anatomy will have seen at once that man is too complicated, and that a good engineer could make him more simply. So young Rossum began to overhaul anatomy and tried to see what could be left out or simplified. In short but this isnt boring you, Miss Glory?
HELENA: No; on the contrary, its awfully interesting.
DOMAIN: So young Rossum said to himself: A man is something that, for instance, feels happy, plays the fiddle, likes going for walks, and, in fact, wants to do a whole lot of things that are really unnecessary.
HELENA: Oh!
DOMAIN:Wait a bit. That are unnecessary when hes wanted, let us say, to weave or to count. Do you play the fiddle?
HELENA: No.
DOMAIN: Thats a pity. But a working machine must not want to play the fiddle,must not feel happy,must not do a whole lot of other things. A petrol motor must not have tassels or ornaments, Miss Glory. And to manufacture artificial workers is the same thing as to manufacture motors. The process must be of the simplest, and the product of the best from a practical point of view.What sort of worker do you think is the best from a practical point of view?
HELENA: The best? Perhaps the one who is most honest and hard-working.
DOMAIN: No, the cheapest. The one whose needs are the smallest. Young Rossum invented a worker with the minimum amount of requirements. He had to simplify him. He rejected everything that did not contribute directly to the progress of work. In this way he rejected everything that made man more expensive. In fact, he rejected man and made the Robot. My dear Miss Glory, the Robots are not people. Mechanically they are more perfect than we are, they have an enormously developed intelligence, but they have no soul. Have you ever seen what a Robot looks like inside?
HELENA: Good gracious, no!
DOMAIN: Very neat, very simple. Really a beautiful piece of work. Not much in it, but everything in flawless order. The product of an engineer is technically at a higher pitch of perfection than a product of nature.
HELENA: Man is supposed to be the product of nature.
DOMAIN: So much the worse.
Karel C apek,
from R.U.R. (1923, translated by P. Selver)
Which of the following best expresses Rossums view of nature?
[Helena is talking to Domain, the general manager of Rossums Universal Robots factory.]
DOMAIN: Well, any one whos looked into anatomy will have seen at once that man is too complicated, and that a good engineer could make him more simply. So young Rossum began to overhaul anatomy and tried to see what could be left out or simplified. In short but this isnt boring you, Miss Glory?
HELENA: No; on the contrary, its awfully interesting.
DOMAIN: So young Rossum said to himself: A man is something that, for instance, feels happy, plays the fiddle, likes going for walks, and, in fact, wants to do a whole lot of things that are really unnecessary.
HELENA: Oh!
DOMAIN:Wait a bit. That are unnecessary when hes wanted, let us say, to weave or to count. Do you play the fiddle?
HELENA: No.
DOMAIN: Thats a pity. But a working machine must not want to play the fiddle,must not feel happy,must not do a whole lot of other things. A petrol motor must not have tassels or ornaments, Miss Glory. And to manufacture artificial workers is the same thing as to manufacture motors. The process must be of the simplest, and the product of the best from a practical point of view.What sort of worker do you think is the best from a practical point of view?
HELENA: The best? Perhaps the one who is most honest and hard-working.
DOMAIN: No, the cheapest. The one whose needs are the smallest. Young Rossum invented a worker with the minimum amount of requirements. He had to simplify him. He rejected everything that did not contribute directly to the progress of work. In this way he rejected everything that made man more expensive. In fact, he rejected man and made the Robot. My dear Miss Glory, the Robots are not people. Mechanically they are more perfect than we are, they have an enormously developed intelligence, but they have no soul. Have you ever seen what a Robot looks like inside?
HELENA: Good gracious, no!
DOMAIN: Very neat, very simple. Really a beautiful piece of work. Not much in it, but everything in flawless order. The product of an engineer is technically at a higher pitch of perfection than a product of nature.
HELENA: Man is supposed to be the product of nature.
DOMAIN: So much the worse.
Karel C apek,
from R.U.R. (1923, translated by P. Selver)
Which of the following best expresses Rossums view of nature?
- ANature is beautiful.
- BIt is dangerous to try to improve upon nature.
- CNature is imperfect and unnecessarily complicated.
- DMother Nature is the greatest engineer of all.
- EMachines are also a part of nature.
Correct Answer:
C
Rossum wanted to simplify nature, and Domain states that "the product of an engineer is technically at a higher pitch of perfection than a product of nature" (lines
5860), showing that Rossum felt nature was imperfect and unnecessarily complicated. Rossum seems to think that machines are more beautiful (more perfect) than nature, so choice a is incorrect. Rossum clearly tries to improve upon nature and seems to think hes a better engineer, so choices b and d can be ruled out.
There is a clear distinction in the passage between products of humans (engineers) and products of nature, so choice e is incorrect.
C
Rossum wanted to simplify nature, and Domain states that "the product of an engineer is technically at a higher pitch of perfection than a product of nature" (lines
5860), showing that Rossum felt nature was imperfect and unnecessarily complicated. Rossum seems to think that machines are more beautiful (more perfect) than nature, so choice a is incorrect. Rossum clearly tries to improve upon nature and seems to think hes a better engineer, so choices b and d can be ruled out.
There is a clear distinction in the passage between products of humans (engineers) and products of nature, so choice e is incorrect.
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Question #14
How Are Robots Different from Humans?
[Helena is talking to Domain, the general manager of Rossums Universal Robots factory.]
DOMAIN: Well, any one whos looked into anatomy will have seen at once that man is too complicated, and that a good engineer could make him more simply. So young Rossum began to overhaul anatomy and tried to see what could be left out or simplified. In short but this isnt boring you,Miss Glory?
HELENA: No; on the contrary, its awfully interesting.
DOMAIN: So young Rossum said to himself: A man is something that, for instance, feels happy, plays the fiddle, likes going for walks, and, in fact, wants to do a whole lot of things that are really unnecessary.
HELENA: Oh!
DOMAIN: Wait a bit. That are unnecessary when hes wanted, let us say, to weave or to count. Do you play the fiddle?
HELENA: No.
DOMAIN: Thats a pity. But a working machine must not want to play the fiddle, must not feel happy, must not do a whole lot of other things. A petrol motor must not have tassels or ornaments, Miss Glory. And to manufacture artificial workers is the same thing as to manufacture motors. The process must be of the simplest, and the product of the best from a practical point of view.What sort of worker do you think is the best from a practical point of view?
HELENA: The best? Perhaps the one who is most honest and hard-working.
DOMAIN: No, the cheapest. The one whose needs are the smallest. Young Rossum invented a worker with the minimum amount of requirements. He had to simplify him. He rejected everything that did not contribute directly to the progress of work. In this way he rejected everything that made man more expensive. In fact, he rejected man and made the Robot. My dear Miss Glory, the Robots are not people. Mechanically they are more perfect than we are, they have an enormously developed intelligence, but they have no soul. Have you ever seen what a Robot looks like inside?
HELENA: Good gracious, no!
DOMAIN: Very neat, very simple. Really a beautiful piece of work. Not much in it, but everything in flawless order. The product of an engineer is technically at a higher pitch of perfection than a product of nature.
HELENA: Man is supposed to be the product of nature.
DOMAIN: So much the worse.
Karel C apek,
from R.U.R. (1923, translated by P. Selver)
Based on the passage, Rossum is most likely
[Helena is talking to Domain, the general manager of Rossums Universal Robots factory.]
DOMAIN: Well, any one whos looked into anatomy will have seen at once that man is too complicated, and that a good engineer could make him more simply. So young Rossum began to overhaul anatomy and tried to see what could be left out or simplified. In short but this isnt boring you,Miss Glory?
HELENA: No; on the contrary, its awfully interesting.
DOMAIN: So young Rossum said to himself: A man is something that, for instance, feels happy, plays the fiddle, likes going for walks, and, in fact, wants to do a whole lot of things that are really unnecessary.
HELENA: Oh!
DOMAIN: Wait a bit. That are unnecessary when hes wanted, let us say, to weave or to count. Do you play the fiddle?
HELENA: No.
DOMAIN: Thats a pity. But a working machine must not want to play the fiddle, must not feel happy, must not do a whole lot of other things. A petrol motor must not have tassels or ornaments, Miss Glory. And to manufacture artificial workers is the same thing as to manufacture motors. The process must be of the simplest, and the product of the best from a practical point of view.What sort of worker do you think is the best from a practical point of view?
HELENA: The best? Perhaps the one who is most honest and hard-working.
DOMAIN: No, the cheapest. The one whose needs are the smallest. Young Rossum invented a worker with the minimum amount of requirements. He had to simplify him. He rejected everything that did not contribute directly to the progress of work. In this way he rejected everything that made man more expensive. In fact, he rejected man and made the Robot. My dear Miss Glory, the Robots are not people. Mechanically they are more perfect than we are, they have an enormously developed intelligence, but they have no soul. Have you ever seen what a Robot looks like inside?
HELENA: Good gracious, no!
DOMAIN: Very neat, very simple. Really a beautiful piece of work. Not much in it, but everything in flawless order. The product of an engineer is technically at a higher pitch of perfection than a product of nature.
HELENA: Man is supposed to be the product of nature.
DOMAIN: So much the worse.
Karel C apek,
from R.U.R. (1923, translated by P. Selver)
Based on the passage, Rossum is most likely
- Aa robot.
- Ba part-time inventor.
- Ca retired doctor.
- Da foreman in the factory.
- Ea very intelligent engineer.
Correct Answer:
E
Domain tells Helena in lines 1–5 that "any one who’s looked into anatomy will have seen at once that man is too complicated, and that a good engineer could make him more simply. So young Rossum began to overhaul anatomy."This makes e clearly the best choice. Rossum created robots, so choice a is incorrect.
Rossum was clearly an inventor (choice b), but the emphasis in the passage is on his engineering skills. Domain mentions engineers again in lines 58–60: "The product of an engineer is technically at a higher pitch of perfection than a product of nature."There is no evidence that Rossum was a doctor (choice c) or that he was a foreman in the factory (choice e).
E
Domain tells Helena in lines 1–5 that "any one who’s looked into anatomy will have seen at once that man is too complicated, and that a good engineer could make him more simply. So young Rossum began to overhaul anatomy."This makes e clearly the best choice. Rossum created robots, so choice a is incorrect.
Rossum was clearly an inventor (choice b), but the emphasis in the passage is on his engineering skills. Domain mentions engineers again in lines 58–60: "The product of an engineer is technically at a higher pitch of perfection than a product of nature."There is no evidence that Rossum was a doctor (choice c) or that he was a foreman in the factory (choice e).
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Question #15
Whats Wrong with Commercial Television?
Kids who watch much commercial television ought to develop into whizzes at the dialect; you have to keep so much in your mind at once because a series of artificially short attention spans has been created. But this in itself means that the experience of watching the commercial channels is a more informal one, curiously more homely than watching BBC [British Broadcasting Corporation].
This is because the commercial breaks are constant reminders that the medium itself is artificial, isn’t, in fact, "real," even if the gesticulating heads, unlike the giants of the movie screen, are life-size. There is a kind of built-in alienation effect. Everything you see is false, as Tristan Tzara gnomically opined. And the young lady in the St. Bruno tobacco ads who currently concludes her spiel by stating categorically: "And if you believe that, you’ll believe anything," is saying no more than the truth. The long-term effect of habitually watching commercial television is probably an erosion of trust in the television medium itself.
Since joy is the message of all commercials, it is as well they breed skepticism. Every story has a happy ending, gratification is guaranteed by the conventions of the commercial form, which contributes no end to the pervasive unreality of it all. Indeed, it is the chronic bliss of everybody in the commercials that creates their final divorce from effective life as we know it.
Grumpy mum, frowning dad, are soon all smiles again after the ingestion of some pill or potion; minimal concessions are made to mild frustration (as they are, occasionally, to lust), but none at all to despair or consummation. In fact, if the form is reminiscent of the limerick and the presentation of the music-hall, the overall mood in its absolute and unruffled decorum is that of the uplift fables in the Sunday school picture books of my childhood.
Angela Carter, from Shaking a Leg (1997)
According to the author, what is the main difference between commercial channels and public television stations like the BBC?
Kids who watch much commercial television ought to develop into whizzes at the dialect; you have to keep so much in your mind at once because a series of artificially short attention spans has been created. But this in itself means that the experience of watching the commercial channels is a more informal one, curiously more homely than watching BBC [British Broadcasting Corporation].
This is because the commercial breaks are constant reminders that the medium itself is artificial, isn’t, in fact, "real," even if the gesticulating heads, unlike the giants of the movie screen, are life-size. There is a kind of built-in alienation effect. Everything you see is false, as Tristan Tzara gnomically opined. And the young lady in the St. Bruno tobacco ads who currently concludes her spiel by stating categorically: "And if you believe that, you’ll believe anything," is saying no more than the truth. The long-term effect of habitually watching commercial television is probably an erosion of trust in the television medium itself.
Since joy is the message of all commercials, it is as well they breed skepticism. Every story has a happy ending, gratification is guaranteed by the conventions of the commercial form, which contributes no end to the pervasive unreality of it all. Indeed, it is the chronic bliss of everybody in the commercials that creates their final divorce from effective life as we know it.
Grumpy mum, frowning dad, are soon all smiles again after the ingestion of some pill or potion; minimal concessions are made to mild frustration (as they are, occasionally, to lust), but none at all to despair or consummation. In fact, if the form is reminiscent of the limerick and the presentation of the music-hall, the overall mood in its absolute and unruffled decorum is that of the uplift fables in the Sunday school picture books of my childhood.
Angela Carter, from Shaking a Leg (1997)
According to the author, what is the main difference between commercial channels and public television stations like the BBC?
- ACommercial television is very artificial.
- BPublic television is more informal and uplifting.
- CCommercial television teaches viewers not to believe what they see on TV.
- DCommercial television is more like the movies than public television.
- ECommercial television portrays people in a more realistic manner.
Correct Answer:
C
The author states in lines 10–12 that "commercial breaks are constant reminders that the medium itself is artificial" and that "the longterm effect of habitually watching commercial television is probably an erosion of trust in the television medium itself" (lines 20–23). Thus, commercial television teaches viewers not to believe what they see or hear on TV. Commercial television is very artificial (choice a), but we do not get a sense from the passage about the level of artificiality of public television stations. Choice b is incorrect because line 7 states that watching commercial channels is a "more informal" experience than watching public television. The only comparison to the movies is in lines 12–14, which simply state that the people on television are more "realistic" because they are lifesize, so choice d is incorrect. The entire third paragraph discusses how commercials portray people in a very unrealistic manner (they are always happy), so choice e is incorrect.
C
The author states in lines 10–12 that "commercial breaks are constant reminders that the medium itself is artificial" and that "the longterm effect of habitually watching commercial television is probably an erosion of trust in the television medium itself" (lines 20–23). Thus, commercial television teaches viewers not to believe what they see or hear on TV. Commercial television is very artificial (choice a), but we do not get a sense from the passage about the level of artificiality of public television stations. Choice b is incorrect because line 7 states that watching commercial channels is a "more informal" experience than watching public television. The only comparison to the movies is in lines 12–14, which simply state that the people on television are more "realistic" because they are lifesize, so choice d is incorrect. The entire third paragraph discusses how commercials portray people in a very unrealistic manner (they are always happy), so choice e is incorrect.
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