QUESTION: 381 Topic Exam B: Section 2 (Reading)

The following passage is followed by questions based on its content. Think about what is implied or stated in each paragraph and then answer the questions.

(1) For perhaps the tenth time since the clock struck two, Sylvia crosses to the front-facing window of her apartment, pulls back the blue curtain, and looks down at the street. People hurry along the sidewalk; although she watches for several long moments, she sees no one enter her building.

(2) She walks back to the center of the high-ceilinged living room, where she stands frowning and twisting a silver bracelet around and around on her wrist. She is an attractive young woman, although perhaps too thin and with a look that is faintly ascetic; her face is narrow and delicate, her fine, light-brown hair caught back by a tortoiseshell comb. She is restless now, because she is being kept waiting. It is nearly two-thirty a woman named Lola Parrish was to come at two o'clock to look at the apartment.

(3) She considers leaving a note and going out. The woman is late, and besides, Sylvia is certain that Lola Parrish will not be a suitable person with whom to share the apartment. On the phone she had sounded too old, for one thing her voice oddly flat and as deep as a man's. However, the moment for saying the apartment was no longer available slipped past, and Sylvia found herself agreeing to the two o'clock appointment. If she leaves now, as she has a perfect right to do, she can avoid the awkwardness of turning the woman away.

(4) Looking past the blue curtain, however, she sees the sky is not clear but veiled by a white haze, and the air is oppressively still. She knows that the haze, the stillness, and the heat are conditions that often precede a summer thunderstorm one of the abrupt, swiftly descending electrical storms that have terrified her since she was a child. If a storm comes, she wants to be at home in her own place.

(5) She walks back to the center of the room, aware now that the idea of sharing the apartment has actually begun to repel her. Still, she knows she will have to become accustomed to the notion, because her savings are nearly gone and the small trust fund left by her father, exhausted. She has a low-paying job, and, while she has considered seeking another (perhaps something connected with music in her childhood she had played the flute and people had said she was gifted), she has found herself dragged down by a strange inertia.

(6) Besides, although her job pays poorly, it suits her. She is a typist in a natural history museum, with an office on the top floor and a window onto the nearby aviary. The man for whom she works, a curator who is rarely in, allows Sylvia to have the office to herself. The aviary consists of three enormous, white rooms, each with a high, vaulted ceiling. The birds themselves, so beautifully mounted they seem alive, are displayed in elaborate dioramas. Behind glass, they perch in trees with leaves of sculpted metal, appearing to soar through painted forests, above painted rivers and marshes. Everything is rendered in exquisite detail. Glancing at the birds and up through the skylight at the limitless outdoors keeps her mild claustrophobia at bay.

It can be reasonably inferred from the passage that Sylvia's behavior in relationship to other people would be:

distant.
overbearing.
malicious.
patient.

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

In 5th paragraph we learn that "that the idea of sharing the apartment has actually begun to repel her" in addition, she is happy that most of the time at work she has the office to herself and that makes her happy.
With these two facts in mind, we can assume she does not like to be surrounded by people.

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QUESTION: 382 Topic Exam B: Section 2 (Reading)

The following passage is followed by questions based on its content. Think about what is implied or stated in each paragraph and then answer the questions.

(1) For perhaps the tenth time since the clock struck two, Sylvia crosses to the front-facing window of her apartment, pulls back the blue curtain, and looks down at the street. People hurry along the sidewalk; although she watches for several long moments, she sees no one enter her building.

(2) She walks back to the center of the high-ceilinged living room, where she stands frowning and twisting a silver bracelet around and around on her wrist. She is an attractive young woman, although perhaps too thin and with a look that is faintly ascetic; her face is narrow and delicate, her fine, light-brown hair caught back by a tortoiseshell comb. She is restless now, because she is being kept waiting. It is nearly two-thirty a woman named Lola Parrish was to come at two o'clock to look at the apartment.

(3) She considers leaving a note and going out. The woman is late, and besides, Sylvia is certain that Lola Parrish will not be a suitable person with whom to share the apartment. On the phone she had sounded too old, for one thing her voice oddly flat and as deep as a man's. However, the moment for saying the apartment was no longer available slipped past, and Sylvia found herself agreeing to the two o'clock appointment. If she leaves now, as she has a perfect right to do, she can avoid the awkwardness of turning the woman away.

(4) Looking past the blue curtain, however, she sees the sky is not clear but veiled by a white haze, and the air is oppressively still. She knows that the haze, the stillness, and the heat are conditions that often precede a summer thunderstorm one of the abrupt, swiftly descending electrical storms that have terrified her since she was a child. If a storm comes, she wants to be at home in her own place.

(5) She walks back to the center of the room, aware now that the idea of sharing the apartment has actually begun to repel her. Still, she knows she will have to become accustomed to the notion, because her savings are nearly gone and the small trust fund left by her father, exhausted. She has a low-paying job, and, while she has considered seeking another (perhaps something connected with music in her childhood she had played the flute and people had said she was gifted), she has found herself dragged down by a strange inertia.

(6) Besides, although her job pays poorly, it suits her. She is a typist in a natural history museum, with an office on the top floor and a window onto the nearby aviary. The man for whom she works, a curator who is rarely in, allows Sylvia to have the office to herself. The aviary consists of three enormous, white rooms, each with a high, vaulted ceiling. The birds themselves, so beautifully mounted they seem alive, are displayed in elaborate dioramas. Behind glass, they perch in trees with leaves of sculpted metal, appearing to soar through painted forests, above painted rivers and marshes. Everything is rendered in exquisite detail. Glancing at the birds and up through the skylight at the limitless outdoors keeps her mild claustrophobia at bay.

What can be reasonably inferred about Sylvia from the description of her workplace?

Because her job requires concentration and attention to detail, it shows why she is annoyed by Lola's lateness.
The fact that it is light and airy and filled with beautiful dioramas reflects Sylvia's youth and her wish for something better.
Some part of the story, perhaps a love affair between Sylvia and her boss, will probably take place there.
Everything in it, though beautiful and tasteful, seems frozen or removed from life and reflects some aspect of Sylvia's character.

Answer(s): D

Explanation:

All we really know about the specifics of Sylvia's job is that she is a typist at a natural history museum. We do not know if it requires "concentration and attention to detail," so choice A is not a good choice. Her workplace is light and airy, but nothing in the passage suggests that Sylvia wants for something better, in fact she is quite content with her job, making choice B a bad choice as well. Sylvia is happy that her boss is not often in the office, so we know that she unlikely to have a love affair with him, and so choice C is not a good choice, either.
We do know that Sylvia does not like to be around other people, and the stuffed birds do go along with that personality trait, therefore choice D is the best answer.

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QUESTION: 383 Topic Exam B: Section 2 (Reading)

The following passage is followed by questions based on its content. Think about what is implied or stated in each paragraph and then answer the questions.

(1) For perhaps the tenth time since the clock struck two, Sylvia crosses to the front-facing window of her apartment, pulls back the blue curtain, and looks down at the street. People hurry along the sidewalk; although she watches for several long moments, she sees no one enter her building.

(2) She walks back to the center of the high-ceilinged living room, where she stands frowning and twisting a silver bracelet around and around on her wrist. She is an attractive young woman, although perhaps too thin and with a look that is faintly ascetic; her face is narrow and delicate, her fine, light-brown hair caught back by a tortoiseshell comb. She is restless now, because she is being kept waiting. It is nearly two-thirty a woman named Lola Parrish was to come at two o'clock to look at the apartment.

(3) She considers leaving a note and going out. The woman is late, and besides, Sylvia is certain that Lola Parrish will not be a suitable person with whom to share the apartment. On the phone she had sounded too old, for one thing her voice oddly flat and as deep as a man's. However, the moment for saying the apartment was no longer available slipped past, and Sylvia found herself agreeing to the two o'clock appointment. If she leaves now, as she has a perfect right to do, she can avoid the awkwardness of turning the woman away.

(4) Looking past the blue curtain, however, she sees the sky is not clear but veiled by a white haze, and the air is oppressively still. She knows that the haze, the stillness, and the heat are conditions that often precede a summer thunderstorm one of the abrupt, swiftly descending electrical storms that have terrified her since she was a child. If a storm comes, she wants to be at home in her own place.

(5) She walks back to the center of the room, aware now that the idea of sharing the apartment has actually begun to repel her. Still, she knows she will have to become accustomed to the notion, because her savings are nearly gone and the small trust fund left by her father, exhausted. She has a low-paying job, and, while she has considered seeking another (perhaps something connected with music in her childhood she had played the flute and people had said she was gifted), she has found herself dragged down by a strange inertia.

(6) Besides, although her job pays poorly, it suits her. She is a typist in a natural history museum, with an office on the top floor and a window onto the nearby aviary. The man for whom she works, a curator who is rarely in, allows Sylvia to have the office to herself. The aviary consists of three enormous, white rooms, each with a high, vaulted ceiling. The birds themselves, so beautifully mounted they seem alive, are displayed in elaborate dioramas. Behind glass, they perch in trees with leaves of sculpted metal, appearing to soar through painted forests, above painted rivers and marshes. Everything is rendered in exquisite detail. Glancing at the birds and up through the skylight at the limitless outdoors keeps her mild claustrophobia at bay.

Why was Sylvia unable to avoid the meeting with Lola?

She missed her chance to tell her the apartment was rented.
She is running out of money.
She is too concerned with what others think about her.
She could not spot her through the window early enough.

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

In 3rd paragraph, we learn that when Lola called, "the moment for saying the apartment was no longer available slipped past," meaning that she wanted to tell her but missed the opportunity, making A the best answer.

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QUESTION: 384 Topic Exam B: Section 2 (Reading)

The following passage is followed by questions based on its content. Think about what is implied or stated in each paragraph and then answer the questions.

(1) For perhaps the tenth time since the clock struck two, Sylvia crosses to the front-facing window of her apartment, pulls back the blue curtain, and looks down at the street. People hurry along the sidewalk; although she watches for several long moments, she sees no one enter her building.

(2) She walks back to the center of the high-ceilinged living room, where she stands frowning and twisting a silver bracelet around and around on her wrist. She is an attractive young woman, although perhaps too thin and with a look that is faintly ascetic; her face is narrow and delicate, her fine, light-brown hair caught back by a tortoiseshell comb. She is restless now, because she is being kept waiting. It is nearly two-thirty a woman named Lola Parrish was to come at two o'clock to look at the apartment.

(3) She considers leaving a note and going out. The woman is late, and besides, Sylvia is certain that Lola Parrish will not be a suitable person with whom to share the apartment. On the phone she had sounded too old, for one thing her voice oddly flat and as deep as a man's. However, the moment for saying the apartment was no longer available slipped past, and Sylvia found herself agreeing to the two o'clock appointment. If she leaves now, as she has a perfect right to do, she can avoid the awkwardness of turning the woman away.

(4) Looking past the blue curtain, however, she sees the sky is not clear but veiled by a white haze, and the air is oppressively still. She knows that the haze, the stillness, and the heat are conditions that often precede a summer thunderstorm one of the abrupt, swiftly descending electrical storms that have terrified her since she was a child. If a storm comes, she wants to be at home in her own place.

(5) She walks back to the center of the room, aware now that the idea of sharing the apartment has actually begun to repel her. Still, she knows she will have to become accustomed to the notion, because her savings are nearly gone and the small trust fund left by her father, exhausted. She has a low-paying job, and, while she has considered seeking another (perhaps something connected with music in her childhood she had played the flute and people had said she was gifted), she has found herself dragged down by a strange inertia.

(6) Besides, although her job pays poorly, it suits her. She is a typist in a natural history museum, with an office on the top floor and a window onto the nearby aviary. The man for whom she works, a curator who is rarely in, allows Sylvia to have the office to herself. The aviary consists of three enormous, white rooms, each with a high, vaulted ceiling. The birds themselves, so beautifully mounted they seem alive, are displayed in elaborate dioramas. Behind glass, they perch in trees with leaves of sculpted metal, appearing to soar through painted forests, above painted rivers and marshes. Everything is rendered in exquisite detail. Glancing at the birds and up through the skylight at the limitless outdoors keeps her mild claustrophobia at bay.

The word exhausted, as it is used in 5th paragraph, most nearly means:

impotent.
stocked.
spent.
tired.

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

In many cases, vocabulary questions will require you to give nonstandard definitions, and this is a good example of such a case. You probably know that the standard definition of exhausted is tired, but as it is used in the passage it means something else. Sylvia refers to her trust fund as "exhausted" and since we know that she is taking a roommate because she is running out of money, choice C is the best choice.

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QUESTION: 381 Topic Exam B: Section 2 (Reading)

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