Reading Skills 2

1. Here you are provided with 15 incomplete sentences. Beneath each
sentence you will see four words of phrases. Choose the one word or phrase that best
completes the sentence.
01. The human brain ---------- only two percent of an adult’s weight.
a. which makes up
b. it makes up
c. makes it up
d. makes up
02. The foreign policies ---------- the Hoover administration
undertook in 1929 were marked by good will and peaceful
purpose.
a. that c. on which
b. where d. of
03. Children usually turn to their parents rather than ---------- for protection from
threats in the environment.
a. they turn to other figures of authority
b. authority figures to other
c. to other figures of authority
d. their turning to other figures of authority
04. ---------- cause extensive damage to Pacific Island nations each year.
a. Because of the high tides and winds during hurricanes
b. The high tides and winds of hurricanes
c. The high hurricane tides and winds which
d. That the high tides and winds of hurricanes
05. Anthropologists ---------- within their environments and evaluate the adaptations
they have made.
a. societies are studied
b. study societies
c. who study societies are
d. their societies are studied
06. Malaria, which can be fatal if left untreated, is transmitted by the female ----------
by the male, mosquito.
a. not
b. however
c. despite
d. instead
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2. 07. ----------, Henry Thoreau is known for his transcendental views.
a. He was like his predecessor, Ralph Waldo Emerson
b. His predecessor, Ralph Waldo Emerson, was like him
c. Like his predecessor, Ralph Waldo Emerson
d. That he was like his predecessor, Ralph Waldo Emerson
08. The tallest bird on the North American continent, the white
whooping crane, ---------- four and a half feet tall.
a. stands c. it stands
b. which stands d. standing
09. For thousands of years, people have used vast amounts of wood for building and --
-------- their homes.
a. they heat
b. to heat
c. heating
d. heat
10. Past experience has shown that even well-trained ---------- overwhelming success in
forecasting interest rates.
a. experts do not always have
b. do not always have experts
c. there are experts who do not always have
d. always do not have experts
11. ----------gene in the human genome were more completely understood, many
human diseases could be cured or prevented.
a. Each
b. Since each
c. If each
d. Were each
12. ---------- of the United States grown during a Republican administration.
a. Rarely the federal government has
b. Rarely has the federal government
c. Has the federal government rarely
d. The federal government has rarely
13. Water, ----------, is also one of the most abundant compounds of earth.
a. is one of the most critical elements for human survival
b. one of the most critical elements for human survival
c. of which one of the most critical elements for human survival
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d. one of most critical elements for human survival which

3. 14. ---------- extensively by persons who cannot speak or hear, American Sign Language
ranks as the fourth most widely used language in the US today.
a. Relied on
b. It is relied on
c. Relying on it
d. To rely on it
15. Efforts to provide equal opportunity for minorities in the United
States ---------- from the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
a. may be said to date
b. dating
c. may say to date
d. to date may be said
10 Tips to Improve
Your Reading Skills
Tip #1. You don't have to be a
great reader to get the point.
Some people read fast and
remember everything. Others read
slowly and take a couple of times
to get all the information. It doesn't
matter, really, so long as when you
read, you get the information
you're seeking.
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