Nokea
What effect does your voice have on others? Does it persuade or irritate, attract or repel? One of
the worst qualities is harshness. If you ever get the feeling that people are uncomfortable when you speak, it may be that your harsh tones are jarring their eardrums. Your voice will sound
unpleasant if it is shrill, grating, hard, piercing, brassy, to loud, or too nasal. Harsh voice qualities usually come from too much tension in the throat and jaw. Tension tightens muscles and blocks the relaxed voice tones essential to a pleasing impression. Because tension occurs in higher pitched voices, women tend to have shriller voices than men, which usually makes them
less desirable public speakers, newscasters, or political candidates.
The author seems to
- A. prefer low-pitched tones.
- B. have no particular reactions to different voices.
- C. prefer shrill, grating, and brassy voices.
- D. be an experienced public speaker.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The passage indicates that harsh qualities in voices, such as being shrill, grating, or brassy, are undesirable and that they can lead to discomfort for listeners. The author emphasizes that relaxed voice tones are essential for a pleasing impression, suggesting a preference for lower-pitched tones that are more pleasant to hear. Therefore, the most appropriate answer is A, indicating a preference for low-pitched tones.
You may also like to solve these questions
Nurseries: If you thought nurseries were just for babies, well, think again! Being special kinds of farms, nurseries are used to raise plants in mass quantities. Plants, trees, and shrubs are typically grown in nurseries and then sold to farmers and gardeners to plant in homes, businesses, and farms. Most nurseries are found in the more rural parts of the country because much land is required to have a viable nursery. If a nursery sells plants to others, it must obtain a special permit from the local city or county, which keeps the competition fair and does not saturate the market with a large number of nurseries selling similar products.
Also on the grounds of nurseries are greenhouses which are made of glass or plastic panes that protect the plants from weather elements that may harm them and cause them not to grow and develop. The glass panels in greenhouses allow for sunlight to enter and moisture to be trapped inside. This creates a tropical environment which allows orchids and poinsettias to grow. It ensures that vegetables and fruits will grow large, which makes them valuable to farmers.
In the passage, the word 'panel' means
- A. The part of a vehicle that supports the controls and dials.
- B. A strip of board or other material that forms a section of a wall or door.
- C. A list of jurors.
- D. A strip of material set lengthwise in or on a garment.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B: A strip of board or other material that forms a section of a wall or door. In the context of the passage, the word 'panel' refers to the glass or plastic panes that make up the structure of greenhouses. Greenhouses are described as having glass panels that allow sunlight to enter and moisture to be trapped inside, creating a specific environment for plant growth. This definition aligns with choice B, as a panel is a section of a wall or door made of a specific material. Choices A, C, and D are incorrect as they do not correspond to the definition of 'panel' as used in the passage. Choice A refers to a part of a vehicle, choice C refers to a list of jurors, and choice D refers to a strip of material in a garment, none of which relate to the context of greenhouses described in the passage.
About 6% of the earth is covered by rainforests. The largest rainforest in the world is the
Amazon Basin, which stretches over 2.3 million square miles in nine different South American countries. This area is double the length of all the other remaining rainforests in the world. Brazil contains 60%of the Amazonian rainforest, since it lies at the mouth of the river Amazon. This river is the second largest in the world and contains more than one-fifth of the world's fresh water. The Amazon rainforest is a type of wet broadleaf forest. The weather there is very humid and warm as it rains quite a bit. Because of the high rainfall, the forest is very rich and green. The
tree leaves are pointed and narrow so that the raindrops can easily drop off wet plants. This
tropical rainforest has more living species than the entire European continent. There are over 400 types of insects living in one single rain forest tree for a total of 2.5 million species. One square kilometer of rainforest may contain over 75,000 types of trees and approximately 438,000
different kinds of plants, which comes to a total of 90,000 tons of greenery overall. The Amazon rainforest is home to 2,000 birds and mammals, with one in every five birds in the world living there. Local farmers have lived off this rich and diverse land for thousands of years. They have been able to find food and water here without destroying the land. The Kayapo people of Brazil
farm in an environmentally-friendly way. Instead of chemicals, they use burned wood to enrich the soil, and plant banana trees, which attract wasps. These wasps then feed on leafcutter ants and get rid of these harmful insects. The rainforest also offers a lot of tropical fruits, such as bananas and coconuts, as food.
Cinnamon is made from the bark of a rainforest tree. Amazonian Indians use the fruit and stem
of the Buruti plant as a drink, to make bread and to build houses. Many other plants are used as medicine. But the Amazon rainforest is in very big danger of disappearing. 9,169 square miles of
forest have been cut down in 2003 in Brazil alone. An area of the size of a football field is burned down basically every minute, which means that the rain forest may be gone by the year 2030.The dangers related to this type of activity are obvious. Trees take in poisonous carbon
dioxide from the air and give off oxygen. There is more oxygen and less carbon dioxide around a
rainforest. When trees are cut down, however, the amount of carbon dioxide increases, and the
air gets warmer. This leads to global warming, which is extremely harmful to the environment. It
is estimated that the burning of Brazilian rainforests alone produces 200 million metric tons of carbon dioxide ayear. Another danger connected with destroying the rainforest is the disappearance of plants and animals. When trees are cut down, plants and animals have no more
food left and slowly die out. Killing wild animals is illegal in Brazil, but there is plenty of stealing going on. 38 million animals are stolen and sold illegally each year. The most hunted
animals are birds, especially parrots, followed by snakes and the jaguar.
What is the biggest problem related to the disappearance of the rainforest?
- A. Global warming
- B. Poisoning the air
- C. Burning the field
- D. Cutting down trees
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The biggest problem related to the disappearance of the rainforest is cutting down trees. When trees are cut down, it leads to various detrimental consequences. Firstly, trees play a crucial role in reducing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and providing oxygen. Cutting down trees increases carbon dioxide levels, contributing to global warming. Additionally, the loss of trees results in the destruction of habitats for plants and animals, leading to biodiversity loss. Therefore, the act of cutting down trees in the rainforest has far-reaching negative impacts on the environment, making it the most significant issue related to the rainforest's disappearance.
Foodborne illnesses are contracted by eating food or drinking beverages contaminated with bacteria, parasites, or viruses. Harmful chemicals can also cause foodborne illnesses if they have contaminated food during harvesting or processing. Foodborne illnesses can cause symptoms ranging from upset stomach to diarrhea, fever, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and dehydration. Most foodborne infections are undiagnosed and unreported, though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that every year about 76 million people in the United States become ill from pathogens in food. About 5,000 of these people die. Harmful bacteria are the most common cause of foodborne illness. Some bacteria may be present at the point of purchase. Raw foods are the most common source of foodborne illnesses because they are not sterile; examples include raw meat and poultry contaminated during slaughter. Seafood may become contaminated during harvest or processing. One in 10,000 eggs may be contaminated with Salmonella inside the shell. Produce, such as spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, and melons, can become contaminated with Salmonella, Shigella, or Escherichia coli (E. coli). Contamination can occur during growing, harvesting, processing, storing, shipping, or final preparation. Sources of produce contamination vary, as these foods are grown in soil and can become contaminated during growth, processing, or distribution. Contamination may also occur during food preparation in a restaurant or a home kitchen. The most common form of contamination from handled foods is the calicivirus, also called the Norwalk-like virus. When food is cooked and left out for more than two hours at room temperature, bacteria can multiply quickly. Most bacteria don’t produce an odor or change in color or texture, so they can be impossible to detect. Freezing food slows or stops bacteria’s growth, but does not destroy the bacteria. The microbes can become reactivated when the food is thawed. Refrigeration also can slow the growth of some bacteria. Thorough cooking is required to destroy the bacteria.
What does the term 'sterile' mean as used in the second paragraph?
- A. free of bacteria
- B. healthy
- C. delicious
- D. impotent
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: In the context of the second paragraph, 'sterile' means 'free of bacteria.' Raw foods like meat and poultry are highlighted as common sources of foodborne illnesses because they are not sterile, indicating that they may contain harmful bacteria. Therefore, the term 'sterile' in this context refers to being free of bacteria, which corresponds with choice A.
Lightning Strikes: The old wives' tale of "Lightning never strikes twice" has been proven untrue time and time again. Lightning forms from negative and positive charges within clouds and from the earth below. When these charges react with each other, the air between the cloud and the earth ionizes, which produces a lightning flash. Lightning is actually a series of multiple events consisting of a leader stroke of lightning, followed by as many as 40 smaller strokes of lightning. Being just split seconds apart, these strokes of lightning often reflect off the lining of the clouds.
Lightning rods that extend from above the roof to the ground protect buildings by forming a low resistance path for the lightning so that the lightning does not enter the building, but rather defuses as it penetrates the ground.
Some myths about lightning need to be explained. Lightning does strike tall buildings often, and during a particularly violent storm, a tall building may be hit by lightning several times. The safest place during a thunder and lightning storm is in a metal car or lying flat, face down, in the open, not under a tree as the myth suggests.
Many people believe that thunder and lightning are connected; however, this proves to be true only about 50% of the time, so if you're waiting for the clap of thunder, you're missing out on some exciting strokes of lightning!
Lightning causes injuries, deaths, and forest fires each year. However, some scientists reveal the positive aspects of lightning because it releases nitrogen into the atmosphere which the raindrops then deliver to earth to fertilize our soil.
From the passage, the reader can conclude that lightning
- A. is always detrimental to the earth.
- B. consists of a main stroke and several smaller strokes.
- C. and thunder are always connected.
- D. is a rare occurrence.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B: Lightning consists of a main stroke and several smaller strokes. From the passage, it is mentioned that lightning is actually a series of multiple events consisting of a leader stroke of lightning, followed by as many as 40 smaller strokes of lightning. This indicates that lightning is not just a single occurrence but a sequence of events involving the main stroke followed by smaller strokes.
Choice A is incorrect as the passage mentions that lightning has positive aspects such as releasing nitrogen into the atmosphere. Choice C is incorrect as the passage states that thunder and lightning are connected only about 50% of the time. Choice D is incorrect as the passage does not indicate that lightning is a rare occurrence, in fact, it mentions that lightning causes injuries, deaths, and forest fires each year.
Exams
Subjective exams measure your ability in several areas. Besides recall information, you must be able to organize content logically and intelligently express yourself in a clearly understood manner. Subjective tests provide a greater opportunity for students to show their broad knowledge of a subject area. Answers may be in the form of paragraphs or lengthy essays.
When you review for an essay exam, concentrate on main ideas rather than details. Since essay tests are limited to a few questions, they are likely to deal with more important ideas of a subject. Prepare a list of questions that you think might be asked. Write an answer to each of your questions. Rather than writing complete sentences, jot down your thoughts in outline form. Doing so will help you organize the information so that you can express yourself clearly.
When you take the test, read through all the questions before you start to write. Allot time for each question, allowing more time for questions worth the most points. Read each question carefully to determine exactly what is being asked. Pay attention to words such as define, illustrate, explain, list, compare, and contrast. Each word requires a different type of response.
In the above passage, the word 'subjective' refers to test questions that
- A. are matching.
- B. allow you to choose an answer.
- C. are true or false.
- D. require you to write your own answer.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The term 'subjective,' as used in the passage, pertains to test questions that demand individuals to express their thoughts, organize information, and provide detailed responses. These types of questions often require writing essays or paragraphs, aligning closely with the description of subjective tests presented in the passage. Therefore, the correct answer is D: 'require you to write your own answer.' This choice accurately reflects the nature of subjective exams as discussed in the passage.