PRACTICE
Exercise 3.1.A
Read the following passages and choose the one best answer to each question.
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1. During World War I, a new means of electronic communication appeared, barely ten years after its invention—radio. Radio permitted much more rapid installation of communications, at far longer ranges, than was possible with field telephones. Also, its invisible signals could not be stopped by artillery fire or wire cutters, as telephone lines could. Few improvements have been made in field telephones since World War I, but improvements in radio transmission have been continuous.
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What is the main idea of the passage?
A) Radio was the newest technology during World War I.
B) The radios and field telephones used during World War I were primitive.
C) Radio was more advantageous than field telephones during World War I.
D) Radio has improved greatly since World War I.
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Answer: 1. C (Most of the sentences point out the advantages of radio over field telephones.)
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2. Rangelands cover more than one billion acres of the United States, mostly in the Western states and Alaska. They contain many natural resources—grass and shrubs for animal grazing, habitats for livestock and wildlife, water from vast watersheds, facilities for water sports and other kinds of recreation, and valuable mineral and energy resources. Rangelands also serve as areas for scientific study of environment.
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What is the main idea of the paragraph?
A) The United States has vast areas of rangelands.
B) There are many benefits derived from rangelands.
C) The natural resources of rangelands are becoming threatened.
D) Rangelands are the subject of much scientific study.
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Answer: 2. B (Most of the sentences discuss the benefits of rangelands: natural resources, mineral and energy resources, areas for scientific study.)
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3. When the National Football League decided to end expensive bidding among teams for the best college players, it held a draft. The first football draft was held in 1936. The Philadelphia Eagles, as the weakest team, had the first draft choice. It chose the University of Chicago’s Jay Berwanger, then sold the rights to him to the Chicago Bears. The Bears and Berwanger could not come to contract terms; thus, the first player drafted by the pros never played professional football.
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The paragraph primarily discusses
A) the origins of the National Football League
B) the short football career of Jay Berwanger
C) the contract dispute between the Chicago Bears and Jay Berwanger
D) the first National Football League draft
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Answer: 3. D (The subject of the paragraph is the first National Football League draft.)