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An interesting birthday party
On Saturday afternoon, local eccentric Dr. Oliver Creekstone held a remarkable 90th birthday at his countryside estate. Present were 3000 guests, four zebras, two monster trucks, and a famous bagpipe player from Scotland. Though pleased with the entertainment, attendees reportedly were shocked that the complimentary buffet contained only boiled asparagus and pickled carrots.
At nightfall, the party was treated to a stunning and seemingly endless fireworks display. According to our sources, Dr. Creekstone felt that next year's birthday party would have to be even bigger and More interesting. 'We'll need at least seven more zebras,' he said.
What is the topic excerpt?
- A. An interesting birthday party
- B. A disappointing buffet menu
- C. Dr. Creekstone's eccentricities
- D. The lack of adequate lighting at the estate
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A, 'An interesting birthday party.' The passage describes Dr. Oliver Creekstone's remarkable 90th birthday party at his countryside estate, featuring unusual elements like zebras, monster trucks, and a bagpipe player. The guests were surprised by the buffet of boiled asparagus and pickled carrots, and the evening ended with a spectacular fireworks display. Choice B, 'A disappointing buffet menu,' is incorrect as the buffet is just one aspect of the overall event. Choice C, 'Dr. Creekstone's eccentricities,' while partially relevant, does not capture the main focus of the passage. Choice D, 'The lack of adequate lighting at the estate,' is unrelated to the topic of the excerpt.
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Don't Look Back Now is the story of Keisha (Joy Taylor), a woman who has moved across the country to escape her creepy ex-boyfriend stalker, Tom (Kevin Highsmith). However, mysterious things keep happening to the people in Keisha's life, and the authorities don't believe her. But there's one thing nobody knows - she's got a secret that will make anyone coming to harm her regret it - especially Tom. This thriller is an exciting roller coaster ride that constantly keeps the audience guessing.
Director Juliette Cho knows exactly how to manipulate the camera to capture every shadow and peripheral movement, keeping the viewer on edge. The close-up shots feel claustrophobic like the perspective is skewed. For any other movie, this might be annoying, but for this one, it helps put the viewer in Keisha's suspicious shoes very well. With a running time of 98 minutes, the pacing is quick and efficient, and Cho uses cinematography deftly to show the quick and jerky passage of time from Keisha's perspective.
The performances are rock solid all the way through. Joy Taylor is brittle and violent, simmering below the surface with rage. You can see the toll this stalking experience has had on her in every twitch of her eye and clench of her jaw. The strength she displays once the film shifts into the darker, triumphant second act is a wonder to behold. Kevin Highsmith gives off just the right vibe of charming and sinister as Tom, effortlessly shifting his entire performance between sweet and suddenly dangerous.
This is a tense thrill rise that will not disappoint fans of Joy Taylor or this genre in general. You can find Don't Look Back Now at the Main Street Metroplex 12 and the Movie Palace 20 starting Friday.
What is the main argument presented in the passage?
- A. The custom of tipping should be abolished in favor of paying servers a living wage
- B. Tipping enhances service quality in restaurants
- C. Servers' pay should be determined by their performance
- D. Customers derive pleasure from the custom of tipping
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A: 'The custom of tipping should be abolished in favor of paying servers a living wage.' The rationale is that the passage argues for eliminating tipping and ensuring servers receive a fair wage. This is supported by the idea that servers should be paid adequately rather than relying on tips. Choice B is incorrect because the passage does not support the idea that tipping enhances service quality; it argues for a living wage instead. Choice C is incorrect as there is no mention of paying servers based on performance in the passage. Choice D is incorrect as the passage does not focus on customers' enjoyment of tipping but rather on the need to abolish the practice for fairer wages.
The best part about going to the theatre is the feeling of being transported into the story. As soon as the curtains rise, you can forget about the chairs, that make you feel like you've been squished into a sardine can, and embrace wherever the story takes you, if only for a short while. The emotions in the play become your emotions. The lives of the characters become your life. From a drama about a financial crisis to a comedy about a play gone wrong, there is no limit to where the theatre can take you.
From where is the author most likely drawing the statements in the passage?
- A. The writer's local university library
- B. The online writing lab at Purdue University
- C. Archive of recorded poetry and literature
- D. The writer's own knowledge and experience about theatre
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The correct answer is D because the passage vividly describes the experience of going to the theatre, highlighting personal feelings and emotions that the author relates to. The passage emphasizes the connection between the audience and the story, indicating a personal perspective rather than research from a library, online source, or archive. Choices A, B, and C are incorrect because the passage's content is focused on personal experiences and emotions related to the theatre, rather than academic or recorded sources.
Research shows that tipping in a restaurant has little to no effect on service. What tipping does do is enable restauranteurs to pay less than the federal minimum wage to servers and depend on customers to make up the difference between servers' salaries and the minimum wage.
The U.S. federal minimum wage for servers is $2.13 per hour. Although minimum wage varies from state to state, it is safe to say that customers are paying the lion's share of servers' salaries. This practice leads to resentment on the part of customers and it devalues servers. It's time to abolish tipping and pay employees a living wage. The result may well be happy servers who provide excellent service to grateful customers.
Why do cicadas make a buzzing sound?
- A. To orient via echolocation
- B. To attract a mate
- C. To locate a food source
- D. To ward off predators
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Cicadas make a buzzing sound primarily to attract a mate. This sound is a mating call produced by the males to attract females for reproduction. While echolocation is used by some animals like bats for navigation, cicadas do not use buzzing for orientation. Buzzing is not related to locating a food source or warding off predators in the case of cicadas.
Grandma Harry; 30 minutes; Cookies/Desserts; Makes 1 dozen
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup flour
Beat egg white until foamy. Stir in sugar, beat again until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in peanut butter and vanilla. Add flour in small increments until dough forms. Chill dough for at least 2 hours. Roll into balls, roll in sugar, press down with a fork, and bake at
350 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet. These are very fragile.
Which of the following words are synonyms for 'erroneously' as used in the passage?
- A. Correctly
- B. Inconsequentially
- C. Mistakenly
- D. Extraneously
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: 'Erroneously' means incorrectly or mistakenly, which aligns with the context provided in the passage. Therefore, 'Incorrectly' and 'Mistakenly' are synonyms for 'erroneously.' 'Inconsequentially' means not resulting in any significant consequence, which is not synonymous with 'erroneously.' 'Extraneously' means irrelevant or unnecessary, which is also not a synonym for 'erroneously.'
Hedy Lamar was a woman of many talents. She was first known as a European film
actress in the 1930s and early 1940s. Some of her popular films included Boom Town
(1940) and White Cargo (1942); however, her roles generally did not include very
many spoken lines and she became bored. To relieve this boredom, Lamar took up
inventing.
Hedy Lamar did not have any formal training, but she did not allow that to stop her
from teaching herself in her spare time. Although she had a number of failed
inventions, such as an improved traffic light and a carbonated drink, Lamar did not
stop coming up with ideas. She even spent time working with the science engineering
team employed by Howard Hughes, the aviation tycoon.
During World War II, Lamarr learned that one of the military's new technologies,
radio-controlled torpedoes, were too easily jammed and redirected. She came up with
a type of radio signal that changed, or "hopped," frequencies and was unable to be
tracked or disrupted. With the assistance of her friend George Antheil, she was able
to design the system and patent it in August 1942.
Unfortunately, the United States Navy was not interested. The technology of the era
wasn't quite good enough to easily implement Lamarr's system, and the Navy was
not particularly interested in civilian inventions at the time. It wasn't until 20 years
later, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, that a version of Lamarr's system began
appearing on Navy ships.
The work Lamarr and Antheil did creating this frequency-hopping system led to
many technologies that are often taken for granted today. Their work led to the
development of cell phones, Bluetooth, and WiFi. Just think, we might not have any
of those things if Hedy Lamarr had been given more interesting roles.
What conclusion can be drawn from Hedy Lamar's acting career based on the extract?
- A. Hedy Lamarr was the first European actress of the 1990s
- B. Hedy Lamarr sought more speaking roles in her acting career
- C. Hedy Lamarr was content with her contribution to the film industry
- D. Hedy Lamarr worked in American films with various directors
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The extract provided does not mention Hedy Lamarr or her acting career. Therefore, we cannot draw any conclusions about her from this text. Choice B is the correct answer as it remains the most plausible conclusion based on general knowledge about Hedy Lamarr's career. The other choices are incorrect as there is no information in the extract to support them. Choice A is inaccurate as it refers to the 1990s, which is not the era when Hedy Lamarr was active. Choice C is not supported by the extract, and choice D is too vague and lacks specificity.