Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 3rd Edition

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P R E T E S T
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7
9.
From the context of the passage, it can be
determined that the word “frivolous” most
nearly means
a.
silly.
b.
high-minded.
c.
difficult.
d.
calculated.
10.
Suppose that the author is considering following
this sentence with supportive detail: “Both
undergo great hardship to make the trek.” Which
of the following sentences would be in keeping
with the comparison and contrast structure of
the paragraph?
a.
The migrants in 
The Way West
cross the
Missouri, then the Kaw, and make their way
overland to the Platte.
b.
The Oklahomans’ jalopies break down
repeatedly, while the pioneers’ wagons need
frequent repairs.
c.
Today’s travelers would consider it a hardship
to spend several days, let alone several
months, getting anywhere.
d.
The Joad family, in 
The Grapes of Wrath
, loses
both grandmother and grandfather before the
journey is complete.
11.
Which of the following excerpts from the essay is
an opinion, rather than a fact?
a.
“Both Steinbeck’s and Guthrie’s characters are
primarily farmers.”
b.
“Steinbeck’s Oklahomans are forced off
their land by the banks who own their
mortgages…”
c.
“John Steinbeck’s 
Grapes of Wrath
, published
in 1939, was followed ten years later by A.B.
Guthrie’s 
The Way West
.”
d.
“The pioneers’ decision to leave their farms
in Missouri and the East is frivolous and
ill-founded in comparison with the
Oklahomans’…”
12.
The language in the paragraph implies that
which of the following will happen to the
Oklahomans when they arrive in California?