501 Critical Reading Questions

d
and 
e
are true and
mentioned in the passage, but they do not fit in context with 
the phrase.
407.
e.
The author’s primary purpose in writing this passage is to illus-
trate the importance of these games in Native American cul-
ture. The author does this by giving examples of the spiritual
and peacekeeping significance of the games to the Native
Americans. The passage does inform us that lacrosse evolved
from these ancient games, but it does not specifically describe
any aspect of modern lacrosse or any other sport, therefore
choices 
a
and 
c
are incorrect. Choices 
b
and 
d
are both men-
tioned by the author, but they are not the main subjects of the
passage, and nowhere in the passage does the author condone
or condemn the violence of the games.
2 3 6
501
Critical Reading Questions

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2 3 7
408.
e.
The author’s primary purpose in writing this passage is to dis-
cuss his belief that commercialism’s strong presence in today’s
society strongly influences a person’s view of his or her personal
identity. A good illustration of this can be found on line 23–24,
where the author states, 
we are prepared to spend our way into a
trendy identity
.
409.
b.
The 
commercial range of options
in line 3 is the numerous prod-
ucts available for purchase by today’s consumer. Line 6 holds a
clue to answering this question: The author refers to the mod-
ern practice of wearing old symbols such as a kilt as 
the personal
choice of a particular consumer
.
410.
b.
The term 
disposable income
refers to the specific amount of a per-
son’s income that is allotted as spending money. This is the only
choice that makes sense in the context of the passage.
411.
d.
The statement that one 
can tell a lot about somebody by what they
are wearing
is directly contradicted by the claim the author
makes in lines 3–6: 
Seeing someone in a Harvard or Oxford sweat-
shirt or a kilt or a military tie now communicates nothing at all sig-
nificant about that person’s life other than the personal choice of a
particular consumer
.
412.
a.
The author’s point of view of today’s society in lines 12–14 is
that today’s world is much smaller and more hectic than it used
be, which makes it harder for people to put down solid roots
and identify with a singular way of life. In short, 
times have
changed
.
413.
c.
In line 27 the author states a surfer should lie upon a surfboard
like a small boy on a coaster
, and then goes on in lines 32–33 to
say that the surfer slides down a wave 
just as a boy slides down a
hill on his coaster
.
414.
d.
The question asks for the statement that cannot be answered
based on information given in the passage. In lines 25–29, the
author describes the shape and dimensions of a flat board, and
tells the reader how to paddle and lie upon it. But nowhere in
the passage does the author state that a flat board is the most
popular type of surfboard.
415.
e.
The answer to this question is found in lines 18–22. The author
states that 
the bottom shoals gradually from a quarter of a mile to a
mile
toward the beach at Waikiki, producing 
a splendid surf-
riding surf
.
416.
b.
When the word 
shoal
is used as a verb it usually means to
become shallow (as in water) or to come to a shallow or less
deep part of. Lines 9–10 state that as the wave approaches the
501