Variant 1 You could have come first and won the race if you … faster

25. The author informs us that an alphabet is ...

A) two Greek letters, alpha and beta B) a group of signs that stand for vocal sounds

C) a group of meaningless symbols D) the sounds used when we speak

26. We can understand from the passage that alphabets are well-suited for writing because ...

A) they derive from ancient hieroglyphics B) their letters represent specific words or ideas

C) they are not as rigid as other symbolic systems D) they can have thousands of different letters

27. According to the passage academics disagree about ...

A) the disadvantages of alphabets B) pictograms and ideograms

C) the origin of alphabets D) the key to cuneiform scripts
Each year, about 7000 people in the United States are bitten by poisonous snakes. Fewer than a dozen of these persons die, but many are left with disability of a limb and scarring at the site of the bite. Persons at greatest risk are those who handle snakes for purposes of entertainment, religion or science. Outside the high-risk group, hunters, farmers and fishermen are the most likely to be bitten. The best way to tell the difference between a poisonous and a non-poisonous bite is to identify the snake. A non-poisonous bite doesn’t usually cause much pain or swelling, though the wound may bleed freely. When there is any doubt as to whether the snake is venomous, presume that the bite was poisonous and take precautions.

28. We can infer from the passage, that a group of maximum risk of being bitten by venomous snakes include

people who …

A) try to catch snakes and put them in captivity.

B) hunt animals for sport or who deal with farming.

C) work directly with snakes or worship using them.

D) are unable to distinguish between different snakes.