Pre-test Reading

    Bees, classified into over 10,000 species, are insects found in almost every part of the world except the northernmost and southernmost regions. One commonly known species is the honeybee, the only bee that produces honey and wax. Humans use the wax in making candles, lipsticks and other products, and they use the honey as a food. While gathering the nectar and pollen with which they make honey, bees are simultaneously helping to fertilize the flowers on which they land. Many fruits and vegetables would not survive if bees did not carry the pollen from blossom to blossom.

   Bees live in a structured environment and social within a hive, which is a nest with storage space for the honey. The different types of bees each perform a unique function. The worker bee carries nectar to the hive in a special stomach called the honey stomach. Other workers make beeswax and shape it into a honeycomb, which is a waterproof mass of six-sided compartments, or cells. The queen lays eggs in completed cells. As the workers build more cells, the queen lays more eggs.

    All workers, like the queen, are female, but the workers are smaller than the queen. The male honeybees are called drones; they do not work and cannot sting. They are developed from unfertilized eggs, and their only job is to impregnate a queen. The queen must be fertilized in order to lay worker eggs. During the season where less honey is available and the drone is of no further used, the workers block the drones from eating the honey so that they will starve to death.

1. Which of the following is the best title for this reading?

       Bees, classified into over 10,000 species, are insects found in almost every part of the world except the northernmost and southernmost regions. One commonly known species is the honeybee, the only bee that produces honey and wax. Humans use the wax in making candles, lipsticks and other products, and they use the honey as a food. While gathering the nectar and pollen with which they make honey, bees are simultaneously helping to fertilize the flowers on which they land. Many fruits and vegetables would not survive if bees did not carry the pollen from blossom to blossom.

     Bees live in a structured environment and social within a hive, which is a nest with storage space for the honey. The different types of bees each perform a unique function. The worker bee carries nectar to the hive in a special stomach called the honey stomach. Other workers make beeswax and shape it into a honeycomb, which is a waterproof mass of six-sided compartments, or cells. The queen lays eggs in completed cells. As the workers build more cells, the queen lays more eggs.

    All workers, like the queen, are female, but the workers are smaller than the queen. The male honeybees are called drones; they do not work and cannot sting. They are developed from unfertilized eggs, and their only job is to impregnate a queen. The queen must be fertilized in order to lay worker eggs. During the season where less honey is available and the drone is of no further used, the workers block the drones from eating the honey so that they will starve to death.

2. According to the passage, a hive is …

      Bees, classified into over 10,000 species, are insects found in almost every part of the world except the northernmost and southernmost regions. One commonly known species is the honeybee, the only bee that produces honey and wax. Humans use the wax in making candles, lipsticks and other products, and they use the honey as a food. While gathering the nectar and pollen with which they make honey, bees are simultaneously helping to fertilize the flowers on which they land. Many fruits and vegetables would not survive if bees did not carry the pollen from blossom to blossom.

    Bees live in a structured environment and social within a hive, which is a nest with storage space for the honey. The different types of bees each perform a unique function. The worker bee carries nectar to the hive in a special stomach called the honey stomach. Other workers make beeswax and shape it into a honeycomb, which is a waterproof mass of six-sided compartments, or cells. The queen lays eggs in completed cells. As the workers build more cells, the queen lays more eggs.

     All workers, like the queen, are female, but the workers are smaller than the queen. The male honeybees are called drones; they do not work and cannot sting. They are developed from unfertilized eggs, and their only job is to impregnate a queen. The queen must be fertilized in order to lay worker eggs. During the season where less honey is available and the drone is of no further used, the workers block the drones from eating the honey so that they will starve to death.

3. The author implies that …

      Bees, classified into over 10,000 species, are insects found in almost every part of the world except the northernmost and southernmost regions. One commonly known species is the honeybee, the only bee that produces honey and wax. Humans use the wax in making candles, lipsticks and other products, and they use the honey as a food. While gathering the nectar and pollen with which they make honey, bees are simultaneously helping to fertilize the flowers on which they land. Many fruits and vegetables would not survive if bees did not carry the pollen from blossom to blossom.

      Bees live in a structured environment and social within a hive, which is a nest with storage space for the honey. The different types of bees each perform a unique function. The worker bee carries nectar to the hive in a special stomach called the honey stomach. Other workers make beeswax and shape it into a honeycomb, which is a waterproof mass of six-sided compartments, or cells. The queen lays eggs in completed cells. As the workers build more cells, the queen lays more eggs.

      All workers, like the queen, are female, but the workers are smaller than the queen. The male honeybees are called drones; they do not work and cannot sting. They are developed from unfertilized eggs, and their only job is to impregnate a queen. The queen must be fertilized in order to lay worker eggs. During the season where less honey is available and the drone is of no further used, the workers block the drones from eating the honey so that they will starve to death.

4. All of the following are characteristics of a honeycomb, except …

       Bees, classified into over 10,000 species, are insects found in almost every part of the world except the northernmost and southernmost regions. One commonly known species is the honeybee, the only bee that produces honey and wax. Humans use the wax in making candles, lipsticks and other products, and they use the honey as a food. While gathering the nectar and pollen with which they make honey, bees are simultaneously helping to fertilize the flowers on which they land. Many fruits and vegetables would not survive if bees did not carry the pollen from blossom to blossom.

       Bees live in a structured environment and social within a hive, which is a nest with storage space for the honey. The different types of bees each perform a unique function. The worker bee carries nectar to the hive in a special stomach called the honey stomach. Other workers make beeswax and shape it into a honeycomb, which is a waterproof mass of six-sided compartments, or cells. The queen lays eggs in completed cells. As the workers build more cells, the queen lays more eggs.

       All workers, like the queen, are female, but the workers are smaller than the queen. The male honeybees are called drones; they do not work and cannot sting. They are developed from unfertilized eggs, and their only job is to impregnate a queen. The queen must be fertilized in order to lay worker eggs. During the season where less honey is available and the drone is of no further used, the workers block the drones from eating the honey so that they will starve to death.

5. The word “species” in line 1 is closest meaning to …

       learning can only take place in formal classroom setting. Others feel education occurs in many different forms Education is often viewed as school in traditional, formal sense. Many people believe that true and environments. There may not be a definitive answer to the question of ‘What is education?’ However, we can start thinking about the purpose of education. Is it to educate youth to be responsible citizens? Is it to develop individuals, as well as society, in order to ensure a society’s economic success? Or is it to simplify focus on developing individual talents and intelligence? Perhaps it is the balance of all three that defines educations? While our answers may differ, we can perhaps agree that education is the basic human right. When that right is granted growth and development, the society as a whole is more likely to improve in areas such as health, nutrition, general income and living standards and population fertility rates.

       As global citizens it is our responsibility to critically think about the issues and attempt to come up with solutions to the problems plaguing education. In 1990, UNESCO launched EFA, the movement to provide quality education for all children, youth, and adults by the year of 2015. The unfortunate reality is that for many countries, larger issues come before improving the quality of education. How can we achieve the goals of EFA when the numerous countries around the world are faced with challenges that seem far too impossible to overcome? The answer lies in attempting to bridge some of the gaps that prevent developing nations to complete with developed nations. One example is that of providing greater access to technology and narrowing the ever widening digital divide. In many ways, the most basic access to technology can serve as a valuable educational tool. Individuals who are not afforded this access are at disadvantage when trying to grasp opportunities to make life better for themselves, their families, and their community.

6. The author’s main concern in the first paragraph of the passage is …

       learning can only take place in formal classroom setting. Others feel education occurs in many different forms Education is often viewed as school in traditional, formal sense. Many people believe that true and environments. There may not be a definitive answer to the question of ‘What is education?’ However, we can start thinking about the purpose of education. Is it to educate youth to be responsible citizens? Is it to develop individuals, as well as society, in order to ensure a society’s economic success? Or is it to simplify focus on developing individual talents and intelligence? Perhaps it is the balance of all three that defines educations? While our answers may differ, we can perhaps agree that education is the basic human right. When that right is granted growth and development, the society as a whole is more likely to improve in areas such as health, nutrition, general income and living standards and population fertility rates.

       As global citizens it is our responsibility to critically think about the issues and attempt to come up with solutions to the problems plaguing education. In 1990, UNESCO launched EFA, the movement to provide quality education for all children, youth, and adults by the year of 2015. The unfortunate reality is that for many countries, larger issues come before improving the quality of education. How can we achieve the goals of EFA when the numerous countries around the world are faced with challenges that seem far too impossible to overcome? The answer lies in attempting to bridge some of the gaps that prevent developing nations to complete with developed nations. One example is that of providing greater access to technology and narrowing the ever widening digital divide. In many ways, the most basic access to technology can serve as a valuable educational tool. Individuals who are not afforded this access are at disadvantage when trying to grasp opportunities to make life better for themselves, their families, and their community.

7. If the author is right concerning the role of education, the following  might be predicted to take place, EXCEPT …

       learning can only take place in formal classroom setting. Others feel education occurs in many different forms Education is often viewed as school in traditional, formal sense. Many people believe that true and environments. There may not be a definitive answer to the question of ‘What is education?’ However, we can start thinking about the purpose of education. Is it to educate youth to be responsible citizens? Is it to develop individuals, as well as society, in order to ensure a society’s economic success? Or is it to simplify focus on developing individual talents and intelligence? Perhaps it is the balance of all three that defines educations? While our answers may differ, we can perhaps agree that education is the basic human right. When that right is granted growth and development, the society as a whole is more likely to improve in areas such as health, nutrition, general income and living standards and population fertility rates.

       As global citizens it is our responsibility to critically think about the issues and attempt to come up with solutions to the problems plaguing education. In 1990, UNESCO launched EFA, the movement to provide quality education for all children, youth, and adults by the year of 2015. The unfortunate reality is that for many countries, larger issues come before improving the quality of education. How can we achieve the goals of EFA when the numerous countries around the world are faced with challenges that seem far too impossible to overcome? The answer lies in attempting to bridge some of the gaps that prevent developing nations to complete with developed nations. One example is that of providing greater access to technology and narrowing the ever widening digital divide. In many ways, the most basic access to technology can serve as a valuable educational tool. Individuals who are not afforded this access are at disadvantage when trying to grasp opportunities to make life better for themselves, their families, and their community.

8. The situation the author shows in the passage above is best described as follows …

       learning can only take place in formal classroom setting. Others feel education occurs in many different forms Education is often viewed as school in traditional, formal sense. Many people believe that true and environments. There may not be a definitive answer to the question of ‘What is education?’ However, we can start thinking about the purpose of education. Is it to educate youth to be responsible citizens? Is it to develop individuals, as well as society, in order to ensure a society’s economic success? Or is it to simplify focus on developing individual talents and intelligence? Perhaps it is the balance of all three that defines educations? While our answers may differ, we can perhaps agree that education is the basic human right. When that right is granted growth and development, the society as a whole is more likely to improve in areas such as health, nutrition, general income and living standards and population fertility rates.

       As global citizens it is our responsibility to critically think about the issues and attempt to come up with solutions to the problems plaguing education. In 1990, UNESCO launched EFA, the movement to provide quality education for all children, youth, and adults by the year of 2015. The unfortunate reality is that for many countries, larger issues come before improving the quality of education. How can we achieve the goals of EFA when the numerous countries around the world are faced with challenges that seem far too impossible to overcome? The answer lies in attempting to bridge some of the gaps that prevent developing nations to complete with developed nations. One example is that of providing greater access to technology and narrowing the ever widening digital divide. In many ways, the most basic access to technology can serve as a valuable educational tool. Individuals who are not afforded this access are at disadvantage when trying to grasp opportunities to make life better for themselves, their families, and their community.

9. The word ‘ensure’ in line 5 has the same meaning as …

       learning can only take place in formal classroom setting. Others feel education occurs in many different forms Education is often viewed as school in traditional, formal sense. Many people believe that true and environments. There may not be a definitive answer to the question of ‘What is education?’ However, we can start thinking about the purpose of education. Is it to educate youth to be responsible citizens? Is it to develop individuals, as well as society, in order to ensure a society’s economic success? Or is it to simplify focus on developing individual talents and intelligence? Perhaps it is the balance of all three that defines educations? While our answers may differ, we can perhaps agree that education is the basic human right. When that right is granted growth and development, the society as a whole is more likely to improve in areas such as health, nutrition, general income and living standards and population fertility rates.

       As global citizens it is our responsibility to critically think about the issues and attempt to come up with solutions to the problems plaguing education. In 1990, UNESCO launched EFA, the movement to provide quality education for all children, youth, and adults by the year of 2015. The unfortunate reality is that for many countries, larger issues come before improving the quality of education. How can we achieve the goals of EFA when the numerous countries around the world are faced with challenges that seem far too impossible to overcome? The answer lies in attempting to bridge some of the gaps that prevent developing nations to complete with developed nations. One example is that of providing greater access to technology and narrowing the ever widening digital divide. In many ways, the most basic access to technology can serve as a valuable educational tool. Individuals who are not afforded this access are at disadvantage when trying to grasp opportunities to make life better for themselves, their families, and their community.

10. The word ‘overcome’ is closest meaning to …