Reading Comprehension

Life expectancy has been going up everywhere. What is/are the factor(s) responsible for this changed orientation?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows.

In the past, it was assumed that intellectual performance and physical fitness were two entirely different things. Some people were said to be all brawn and no brain. Others were all brain and no brawn. Now, research is beginning to show that there is no separating mind and body. Brain is a part of human body and physical health has a profound effect on mental health and vice-versa.

Over the last few decades, great strides have been made in the realm of physical health and nowadays people in the developed world are undoubtedly living longer than ever before. A century ago, a baby girl in Australia could expect to live no more than 58 years on an average. Now, she can expect to live upto 83 on an average, a massive shift of 25 years. And the fact that the average has shifted this much means that a great many Australian women are living beyond the age of 83.
It’s nothing new for the people to live well beyond 83, of course. History is full of famous examples of centenarians. What’s changed is that a century ago, an 83-year lifespan was a rarity. Now, it is the norm. A similar thing has been happening in the fitness levels of older people. A century ago, it was rare for old people to be fit and healthy. Now it is a norm.
What’s more, some of these over-60s are so fit that there is now a Veterans’ Olympics in which veterans compete to a very high standard. Any slight drop in their physical performance is often more than matched by the benefits of a lifetime’s experience. Sixty-four-year-old UK squash player Mike Thurgur is one such inspiring example. In a recent charity event, he was on court for 15 hours non-stop, taking on all comers, including many national-level players one third his age and beat them all. Equally impressive is the astronaut John Glenn. He coped with the rigours of space travel at the age of 77.
The average age of the people around the world is going up and up. Already, 1 in 10 is over 60. The United Nations estimate that by 2050, it will be 1 in 5. As this ‘greying’ of humanity gathers pace, more and more of us will be over 80, and many will even be over 100.
This is a phenomenal achievement. Barely a century ago, very few people ever had the chance to reach their 80s and beyond. All too many were cut down in their prime by disease and hardship. In 1900, 99 in every 100 people would die before they even reached 60. Only 1 in 100 would live long enough to collect a pension. The rare privilege of living out anywhere near the full human lifespan was reserved for a tiny elite. Now, thanks to better diet, steady improvement in public health and the benefits of modern medicine, most of us can expect to live until our 90s and beyond. In the West, life expectancy is going up year after year. Every American baby born in the year 2004 can expect to live up to the age of 77.9 years on an average. White girls can expect to live up to nearly 81.

Which of the following statements is true?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

For most people, one of the biggest worries about getting older is losing memories. Indeed, memory loss has become so associated with ‘old age’ that having a ‘senior moment’ is the stuff of TV sitcoms. But memory has no limits, whatever the age. Many older people may take a little more time to remember things, yet once the memory is there, it seems as good as at any age.
Rather than expecting to have more and more episodes of forgetfulness as one grows older, one should remember just what can be achieved. There are plenty of examples of great mental longevity. Michelangelo’s greatest works date from his sixties and he was still creating masterly work when he died at the age of 89. Goethe completed his famous Faust at the age of 82, just nine months before his death. In more modern times, Vera Stravinsky was a professional painter whose personal philosophy was, ‘You work in this life.’ She painted every day until the day she died at 97 and remained as sharp as a tack to the end. The maxim is: ‘You’re not getting older, you’re getting better!’
Memory is many different things. It’s that recollection of a day spent on the beach in the rain as a child. It’s the ability to write a letter without thinking how to hold the pen and shape the letters. It’s what enables one to hold in mind, the beginning of this sentence even before reading the end. Infact, memory is involved in everything we ever learn or experience. Memories are being made, stored and reminisced every single moment of our life.
While reminiscing something, the brain does it by creating a new series of pathways of nerve connections, called a ‘memory trace’. It is forgotten – whenever it so happens, because the connections break down through lack of use. Memory is a complex, multi-layered task that draws in every part of brain. Some memories are restricted to particular parts of the brain, most draw in scores of interacting networks or even the whole brain at once. Even those that end up in a particular location, often link up to many different areas.
Originally, psychologists thought they would find that each memory had its own location in the brain. If they had the right tools, they thought that they could one day identify the group of neurons or even the single neuron where a memory was stored. Although, there are parts of the brain associated with particular skills, we now know that the site association of even these skills is far from rigid. Indeed, it seems likely that most memories stimulate the entire brain.
What’s more, most memories are very far from being unchanging records. Each time a memory is used, it changes slightly. When going out for a meal, for example, the front cortex, the logical part of brain, organises the physical details of the event into one kind of memory. Amygdala, the emotional centre, adds an emotional meaning to these memories. In reminiscing happy effects of that night of dinner, the memories get attached to a good feeling. Subsequently, it is found that the dinner partner has gone off with another person. On recalling the dinner one previously had, it has a very different emotional context. The memory gets a different tag and it is reminisced in a different way. The interconnections involved in the memory trace have shifted.

What purpose does the passage serve?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

For most people, one of the biggest worries about getting older is losing memories. Indeed, memory loss has become so associated with ‘old age’ that having a ‘senior moment’ is the stuff of TV sitcoms. But memory has no limits, whatever the age. Many older people may take a little more time to remember things, yet once the memory is there, it seems as good as at any age.
Rather than expecting to have more and more episodes of forgetfulness as one grows older, one should remember just what can be achieved. There are plenty of examples of great mental longevity. Michelangelo’s greatest works date from his sixties and he was still creating masterly work when he died at the age of 89. Goethe completed his famous Faust at the age of 82, just nine months before his death. In more modern times, Vera Stravinsky was a professional painter whose personal philosophy was, ‘You work in this life.’ She painted every day until the day she died at 97 and remained as sharp as a tack to the end. The maxim is: ‘You’re not getting older, you’re getting better!’
Memory is many different things. It’s that recollection of a day spent on the beach in the rain as a child. It’s the ability to write a letter without thinking how to hold the pen and shape the letters. It’s what enables one to hold in mind, the beginning of this sentence even before reading the end. Infact, memory is involved in everything we ever learn or experience. Memories are being made, stored and reminisced every single moment of our life.
While reminiscing something, the brain does it by creating a new series of pathways of nerve connections, called a ‘memory trace’. It is forgotten – whenever it so happens, because the connections break down through lack of use. Memory is a complex, multi-layered task that draws in every part of brain. Some memories are restricted to particular parts of the brain, most draw in scores of interacting networks or even the whole brain at once. Even those that end up in a particular location, often link up to many different areas.
Originally, psychologists thought they would find that each memory had its own location in the brain. If they had the right tools, they thought that they could one day identify the group of neurons or even the single neuron where a memory was stored. Although, there are parts of the brain associated with particular skills, we now know that the site association of even these skills is far from rigid. Indeed, it seems likely that most memories stimulate the entire brain.
What’s more, most memories are very far from being unchanging records. Each time a memory is used, it changes slightly. When going out for a meal, for example, the front cortex, the logical part of brain, organises the physical details of the event into one kind of memory. Amygdala, the emotional centre, adds an emotional meaning to these memories. In reminiscing happy effects of that night of dinner, the memories get attached to a good feeling. Subsequently, it is found that the dinner partner has gone off with another person. On recalling the dinner one previously had, it has a very different emotional context. The memory gets a different tag and it is reminisced in a different way. The interconnections involved in the memory trace have shifted.

What is the idea contained in the maxim: “You’re not getting older, you’re getting better”?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

For most people, one of the biggest worries about getting older is losing memories. Indeed, memory loss has become so associated with ‘old age’ that having a ‘senior moment’ is the stuff of TV sitcoms. But memory has no limits, whatever the age. Many older people may take a little more time to remember things, yet once the memory is there, it seems as good as at any age.
Rather than expecting to have more and more episodes of forgetfulness as one grows older, one should remember just what can be achieved. There are plenty of examples of great mental longevity. Michelangelo’s greatest works date from his sixties and he was still creating masterly work when he died at the age of 89. Goethe completed his famous Faust at the age of 82, just nine months before his death. In more modern times, Vera Stravinsky was a professional painter whose personal philosophy was, ‘You work in this life.’ She painted every day until the day she died at 97 and remained as sharp as a tack to the end. The maxim is: ‘You’re not getting older, you’re getting better!’
Memory is many different things. It’s that recollection of a day spent on the beach in the rain as a child. It’s the ability to write a letter without thinking how to hold the pen and shape the letters. It’s what enables one to hold in mind, the beginning of this sentence even before reading the end. Infact, memory is involved in everything we ever learn or experience. Memories are being made, stored and reminisced every single moment of our life.
While reminiscing something, the brain does it by creating a new series of pathways of nerve connections, called a ‘memory trace’. It is forgotten – whenever it so happens, because the connections break down through lack of use. Memory is a complex, multi-layered task that draws in every part of brain. Some memories are restricted to particular parts of the brain, most draw in scores of interacting networks or even the whole brain at once. Even those that end up in a particular location, often link up to many different areas.
Originally, psychologists thought they would find that each memory had its own location in the brain. If they had the right tools, they thought that they could one day identify the group of neurons or even the single neuron where a memory was stored. Although, there are parts of the brain associated with particular skills, we now know that the site association of even these skills is far from rigid. Indeed, it seems likely that most memories stimulate the entire brain.
What’s more, most memories are very far from being unchanging records. Each time a memory is used, it changes slightly. When going out for a meal, for example, the front cortex, the logical part of brain, organises the physical details of the event into one kind of memory. Amygdala, the emotional centre, adds an emotional meaning to these memories. In reminiscing happy effects of that night of dinner, the memories get attached to a good feeling. Subsequently, it is found that the dinner partner has gone off with another person. On recalling the dinner one previously had, it has a very different emotional context. The memory gets a different tag and it is reminisced in a different way. The interconnections involved in the memory trace have shifted.

What is the central idea of this passage?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

For most people, one of the biggest worries about getting older is losing memories. Indeed, memory loss has become so associated with ‘old age’ that having a ‘senior moment’ is the stuff of TV sitcoms. But memory has no limits, whatever the age. Many older people may take a little more time to remember things, yet once the memory is there, it seems as good as at any age.
Rather than expecting to have more and more episodes of forgetfulness as one grows older, one should remember just what can be achieved. There are plenty of examples of great mental longevity. Michelangelo’s greatest works date from his sixties and he was still creating masterly work when he died at the age of 89. Goethe completed his famous Faust at the age of 82, just nine months before his death. In more modern times, Vera Stravinsky was a professional painter whose personal philosophy was, ‘You work in this life.’ She painted every day until the day she died at 97 and remained as sharp as a tack to the end. The maxim is: ‘You’re not getting older, you’re getting better!’
Memory is many different things. It’s that recollection of a day spent on the beach in the rain as a child. It’s the ability to write a letter without thinking how to hold the pen and shape the letters. It’s what enables one to hold in mind, the beginning of this sentence even before reading the end. Infact, memory is involved in everything we ever learn or experience. Memories are being made, stored and reminisced every single moment of our life.
While reminiscing something, the brain does it by creating a new series of pathways of nerve connections, called a ‘memory trace’. It is forgotten – whenever it so happens, because the connections break down through lack of use. Memory is a complex, multi-layered task that draws in every part of brain. Some memories are restricted to particular parts of the brain, most draw in scores of interacting networks or even the whole brain at once. Even those that end up in a particular location, often link up to many different areas.
Originally, psychologists thought they would find that each memory had its own location in the brain. If they had the right tools, they thought that they could one day identify the group of neurons or even the single neuron where a memory was stored. Although, there are parts of the brain associated with particular skills, we now know that the site association of even these skills is far from rigid. Indeed, it seems likely that most memories stimulate the entire brain.
What’s more, most memories are very far from being unchanging records. Each time a memory is used, it changes slightly. When going out for a meal, for example, the front cortex, the logical part of brain, organises the physical details of the event into one kind of memory. Amygdala, the emotional centre, adds an emotional meaning to these memories. In reminiscing happy effects of that night of dinner, the memories get attached to a good feeling. Subsequently, it is found that the dinner partner has gone off with another person. On recalling the dinner one previously had, it has a very different emotional context. The memory gets a different tag and it is reminisced in a different way. The interconnections involved in the memory trace have shifted.

What is the author’s opinion?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

For most people, one of the biggest worries about getting older is losing memories. Indeed, memory loss has become so associated with ‘old age’ that having a ‘senior moment’ is the stuff of TV sitcoms. But memory has no limits, whatever the age. Many older people may take a little more time to remember things, yet once the memory is there, it seems as good as at any age.
Rather than expecting to have more and more episodes of forgetfulness as one grows older, one should remember just what can be achieved. There are plenty of examples of great mental longevity. Michelangelo’s greatest works date from his sixties and he was still creating masterly work when he died at the age of 89. Goethe completed his famous Faust at the age of 82, just nine months before his death. In more modern times, Vera Stravinsky was a professional painter whose personal philosophy was, ‘You work in this life.’ She painted every day until the day she died at 97 and remained as sharp as a tack to the end. The maxim is: ‘You’re not getting older, you’re getting better!’
Memory is many different things. It’s that recollection of a day spent on the beach in the rain as a child. It’s the ability to write a letter without thinking how to hold the pen and shape the letters. It’s what enables one to hold in mind, the beginning of this sentence even before reading the end. Infact, memory is involved in everything we ever learn or experience. Memories are being made, stored and reminisced every single moment of our life.
While reminiscing something, the brain does it by creating a new series of pathways of nerve connections, called a ‘memory trace’. It is forgotten – whenever it so happens, because the connections break down through lack of use. Memory is a complex, multi-layered task that draws in every part of brain. Some memories are restricted to particular parts of the brain, most draw in scores of interacting networks or even the whole brain at once. Even those that end up in a particular location, often link up to many different areas.
Originally, psychologists thought they would find that each memory had its own location in the brain. If they had the right tools, they thought that they could one day identify the group of neurons or even the single neuron where a memory was stored. Although, there are parts of the brain associated with particular skills, we now know that the site association of even these skills is far from rigid. Indeed, it seems likely that most memories stimulate the entire brain.
What’s more, most memories are very far from being unchanging records. Each time a memory is used, it changes slightly. When going out for a meal, for example, the front cortex, the logical part of brain, organises the physical details of the event into one kind of memory. Amygdala, the emotional centre, adds an emotional meaning to these memories. In reminiscing happy effects of that night of dinner, the memories get attached to a good feeling. Subsequently, it is found that the dinner partner has gone off with another person. On recalling the dinner one previously had, it has a very different emotional context. The memory gets a different tag and it is reminisced in a different way. The interconnections involved in the memory trace have shifted.

What was not known among the Ozites?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

The Emerald City is all built of beautiful marbles in which are set a profusion of emeralds, every one exquisitely cut and of very great size. There are other jewels used in the decorations inside the houses and palaces, such as rubies, diamonds, sapphires, amethysts and turquoises. But in the streets and upon the outside of the buildings only emeralds appear, from which circumstance the place is named the Emerald City of Oz. It has nine thousand, six hundred and fifty-four buildings, in which lived fifty-seven thousand three hundred and eighteen people, up to the time my story opens.
All the surrounding country, extending to the borders of the desert which enclosed it upon every side, was full of pretty and comfortable farmhouses, in which resided those inhabitants of Oz who preferred country to city life.
Altogether there were more than half a million people in the land of Oz - although some of them, as you will soon learn, were not made of flesh and blood as we are--and every inhabitant of that favored country was happy and prosperous.
No disease of any sort was ever known among the Ozites and so no one ever died unless he met with an accident that prevented him from living. This happened very seldom, indeed. There were no poor people in the Land of Oz, because there was no such thing as money and all property of every sort belonged to the ruler. The people were her children and she cared for them. Each person was given freely by his neighbours, whatever he required for his use, which is as much as any one may reasonably desire. Some tilled the lands and raised great crops of grain, which was divided equally among the entire population, so that all had enough. There were many tailors and dressmakers and shoemakers and the like, who made things that any who desired them might wear. Likewise there were jewelers who made ornaments for the people, which pleased and beautified the people, and these ornaments also were free to those who asked for them. Each man and woman, no matter what he or she produced for the good of the community, was supplied by the neighbours with food and clothing and a house and furniture and ornaments and games. If by chance the supply ever ran short, more was taken from the great storehouses of the ruler, which were afterward filled up again when there was more of any article than the people needed.

All together, there were more than

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

The Emerald City is all built of beautiful marbles in which are set a profusion of emeralds, every one exquisitely cut and of very great size. There are other jewels used in the decorations inside the houses and palaces, such as rubies, diamonds, sapphires, amethysts and turquoises. But in the streets and upon the outside of the buildings only emeralds appear, from which circumstance the place is named the Emerald City of Oz. It has nine thousand, six hundred and fifty-four buildings, in which lived fifty-seven thousand three hundred and eighteen people, up to the time my story opens.
All the surrounding country, extending to the borders of the desert which enclosed it upon every side, was full of pretty and comfortable farmhouses, in which resided those inhabitants of Oz who preferred country to city life.
Altogether there were more than half a million people in the land of Oz - although some of them, as you will soon learn, were not made of flesh and blood as we are--and every inhabitant of that favored country was happy and prosperous.
No disease of any sort was ever known among the Ozites and so no one ever died unless he met with an accident that prevented him from living. This happened very seldom, indeed. There were no poor people in the Land of Oz, because there was no such thing as money and all property of every sort belonged to the ruler. The people were her children and she cared for them. Each person was given freely by his neighbours, whatever he required for his use, which is as much as any one may reasonably desire. Some tilled the lands and raised great crops of grain, which was divided equally among the entire population, so that all had enough. There were many tailors and dressmakers and shoemakers and the like, who made things that any who desired them might wear. Likewise there were jewelers who made ornaments for the people, which pleased and beautified the people, and these ornaments also were free to those who asked for them. Each man and woman, no matter what he or she produced for the good of the community, was supplied by the neighbours with food and clothing and a house and furniture and ornaments and games. If by chance the supply ever ran short, more was taken from the great storehouses of the ruler, which were afterward filled up again when there was more of any article than the people needed.

The inhabitants of Oz preferred to live in

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

The Emerald City is all built of beautiful marbles in which are set a profusion of emeralds, every one exquisitely cut and of very great size. There are other jewels used in the decorations inside the houses and palaces, such as rubies, diamonds, sapphires, amethysts and turquoises. But in the streets and upon the outside of the buildings only emeralds appear, from which circumstance the place is named the Emerald City of Oz. It has nine thousand, six hundred and fifty-four buildings, in which lived fifty-seven thousand three hundred and eighteen people, up to the time my story opens.
All the surrounding country, extending to the borders of the desert which enclosed it upon every side, was full of pretty and comfortable farmhouses, in which resided those inhabitants of Oz who preferred country to city life.
Altogether there were more than half a million people in the land of Oz - although some of them, as you will soon learn, were not made of flesh and blood as we are--and every inhabitant of that favored country was happy and prosperous.
No disease of any sort was ever known among the Ozites and so no one ever died unless he met with an accident that prevented him from living. This happened very seldom, indeed. There were no poor people in the Land of Oz, because there was no such thing as money and all property of every sort belonged to the ruler. The people were her children and she cared for them. Each person was given freely by his neighbours, whatever he required for his use, which is as much as any one may reasonably desire. Some tilled the lands and raised great crops of grain, which was divided equally among the entire population, so that all had enough. There were many tailors and dressmakers and shoemakers and the like, who made things that any who desired them might wear. Likewise there were jewelers who made ornaments for the people, which pleased and beautified the people, and these ornaments also were free to those who asked for them. Each man and woman, no matter what he or she produced for the good of the community, was supplied by the neighbours with food and clothing and a house and furniture and ornaments and games. If by chance the supply ever ran short, more was taken from the great storehouses of the ruler, which were afterward filled up again when there was more of any article than the people needed.

Who made the ornaments?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

The Emerald City is all built of beautiful marbles in which are set a profusion of emeralds, every one exquisitely cut and of very great size. There are other jewels used in the decorations inside the houses and palaces, such as rubies, diamonds, sapphires, amethysts and turquoises. But in the streets and upon the outside of the buildings only emeralds appear, from which circumstance the place is named the Emerald City of Oz. It has nine thousand, six hundred and fifty-four buildings, in which lived fifty-seven thousand three hundred and eighteen people, up to the time my story opens.
All the surrounding country, extending to the borders of the desert which enclosed it upon every side, was full of pretty and comfortable farmhouses, in which resided those inhabitants of Oz who preferred country to city life.
Altogether there were more than half a million people in the land of Oz - although some of them, as you will soon learn, were not made of flesh and blood as we are--and every inhabitant of that favored country was happy and prosperous.
No disease of any sort was ever known among the Ozites and so no one ever died unless he met with an accident that prevented him from living. This happened very seldom, indeed. There were no poor people in the Land of Oz, because there was no such thing as money and all property of every sort belonged to the ruler. The people were her children and she cared for them. Each person was given freely by his neighbours, whatever he required for his use, which is as much as any one may reasonably desire. Some tilled the lands and raised great crops of grain, which was divided equally among the entire population, so that all had enough. There were many tailors and dressmakers and shoemakers and the like, who made things that any who desired them might wear. Likewise there were jewelers who made ornaments for the people, which pleased and beautified the people, and these ornaments also were free to those who asked for them. Each man and woman, no matter what he or she produced for the good of the community, was supplied by the neighbours with food and clothing and a house and furniture and ornaments and games. If by chance the supply ever ran short, more was taken from the great storehouses of the ruler, which were afterward filled up again when there was more of any article than the people needed.

In case of shortages, the supply was provided by the

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

The Emerald City is all built of beautiful marbles in which are set a profusion of emeralds, every one exquisitely cut and of very great size. There are other jewels used in the decorations inside the houses and palaces, such as rubies, diamonds, sapphires, amethysts and turquoises. But in the streets and upon the outside of the buildings only emeralds appear, from which circumstance the place is named the Emerald City of Oz. It has nine thousand, six hundred and fifty-four buildings, in which lived fifty-seven thousand three hundred and eighteen people, up to the time my story opens.
All the surrounding country, extending to the borders of the desert which enclosed it upon every side, was full of pretty and comfortable farmhouses, in which resided those inhabitants of Oz who preferred country to city life.
Altogether there were more than half a million people in the land of Oz - although some of them, as you will soon learn, were not made of flesh and blood as we are--and every inhabitant of that favored country was happy and prosperous.
No disease of any sort was ever known among the Ozites and so no one ever died unless he met with an accident that prevented him from living. This happened very seldom, indeed. There were no poor people in the Land of Oz, because there was no such thing as money and all property of every sort belonged to the ruler. The people were her children and she cared for them. Each person was given freely by his neighbours, whatever he required for his use, which is as much as any one may reasonably desire. Some tilled the lands and raised great crops of grain, which was divided equally among the entire population, so that all had enough. There were many tailors and dressmakers and shoemakers and the like, who made things that any who desired them might wear. Likewise there were jewelers who made ornaments for the people, which pleased and beautified the people, and these ornaments also were free to those who asked for them. Each man and woman, no matter what he or she produced for the good of the community, was supplied by the neighbours with food and clothing and a house and furniture and ornaments and games. If by chance the supply ever ran short, more was taken from the great storehouses of the ruler, which were afterward filled up again when there was more of any article than the people needed.

Which of the following words in the passage is similar in meaning to the word 'flourishing'?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

The Emerald City is all built of beautiful marbles in which are set a profusion of emeralds, every one exquisitely cut and of very great size. There are other jewels used in the decorations inside the houses and palaces, such as rubies, diamonds, sapphires, amethysts and turquoises. But in the streets and upon the outside of the buildings only emeralds appear, from which circumstance the place is named the Emerald City of Oz. It has nine thousand, six hundred and fifty-four buildings, in which lived fifty-seven thousand three hundred and eighteen people, up to the time my story opens.
All the surrounding country, extending to the borders of the desert which enclosed it upon every side, was full of pretty and comfortable farmhouses, in which resided those inhabitants of Oz who preferred country to city life.
Altogether there were more than half a million people in the land of Oz - although some of them, as you will soon learn, were not made of flesh and blood as we are--and every inhabitant of that favored country was happy and prosperous.
No disease of any sort was ever known among the Ozites and so no one ever died unless he met with an accident that prevented him from living. This happened very seldom, indeed. There were no poor people in the Land of Oz, because there was no such thing as money and all property of every sort belonged to the ruler. The people were her children and she cared for them. Each person was given freely by his neighbours, whatever he required for his use, which is as much as any one may reasonably desire. Some tilled the lands and raised great crops of grain, which was divided equally among the entire population, so that all had enough. There were many tailors and dressmakers and shoemakers and the like, who made things that any who desired them might wear. Likewise there were jewelers who made ornaments for the people, which pleased and beautified the people, and these ornaments also were free to those who asked for them. Each man and woman, no matter what he or she produced for the good of the community, was supplied by the neighbours with food and clothing and a house and furniture and ornaments and games. If by chance the supply ever ran short, more was taken from the great storehouses of the ruler, which were afterward filled up again when there was more of any article than the people needed.

Which of the following jewels were used for decorations inside the houses and palaces?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

The Emerald City is all built of beautiful marbles in which are set a profusion of emeralds, every one exquisitely cut and of very great size. There are other jewels used in the decorations inside the houses and palaces, such as rubies, diamonds, sapphires, amethysts and turquoises. But in the streets and upon the outside of the buildings only emeralds appear, from which circumstance the place is named the Emerald City of Oz. It has nine thousand, six hundred and fifty-four buildings, in which lived fifty-seven thousand three hundred and eighteen people, up to the time my story opens.
All the surrounding country, extending to the borders of the desert which enclosed it upon every side, was full of pretty and comfortable farmhouses, in which resided those inhabitants of Oz who preferred country to city life.
Altogether there were more than half a million people in the land of Oz - although some of them, as you will soon learn, were not made of flesh and blood as we are--and every inhabitant of that favored country was happy and prosperous.
No disease of any sort was ever known among the Ozites and so no one ever died unless he met with an accident that prevented him from living. This happened very seldom, indeed. There were no poor people in the Land of Oz, because there was no such thing as money and all property of every sort belonged to the ruler. The people were her children and she cared for them. Each person was given freely by his neighbours, whatever he required for his use, which is as much as any one may reasonably desire. Some tilled the lands and raised great crops of grain, which was divided equally among the entire population, so that all had enough. There were many tailors and dressmakers and shoemakers and the like, who made things that any who desired them might wear. Likewise there were jewelers who made ornaments for the people, which pleased and beautified the people, and these ornaments also were free to those who asked for them. Each man and woman, no matter what he or she produced for the good of the community, was supplied by the neighbours with food and clothing and a house and furniture and ornaments and games. If by chance the supply ever ran short, more was taken from the great storehouses of the ruler, which were afterward filled up again when there was more of any article than the people needed.

The surroundings were full of pretty and comfortable

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

The Emerald City is all built of beautiful marbles in which are set a profusion of emeralds, every one exquisitely cut and of very great size. There are other jewels used in the decorations inside the houses and palaces, such as rubies, diamonds, sapphires, amethysts and turquoises. But in the streets and upon the outside of the buildings only emeralds appear, from which circumstance the place is named the Emerald City of Oz. It has nine thousand, six hundred and fifty-four buildings, in which lived fifty-seven thousand three hundred and eighteen people, up to the time my story opens.
All the surrounding country, extending to the borders of the desert which enclosed it upon every side, was full of pretty and comfortable farmhouses, in which resided those inhabitants of Oz who preferred country to city life.
Altogether there were more than half a million people in the land of Oz - although some of them, as you will soon learn, were not made of flesh and blood as we are--and every inhabitant of that favored country was happy and prosperous.
No disease of any sort was ever known among the Ozites and so no one ever died unless he met with an accident that prevented him from living. This happened very seldom, indeed. There were no poor people in the Land of Oz, because there was no such thing as money and all property of every sort belonged to the ruler. The people were her children and she cared for them. Each person was given freely by his neighbours, whatever he required for his use, which is as much as any one may reasonably desire. Some tilled the lands and raised great crops of grain, which was divided equally among the entire population, so that all had enough. There were many tailors and dressmakers and shoemakers and the like, who made things that any who desired them might wear. Likewise there were jewelers who made ornaments for the people, which pleased and beautified the people, and these ornaments also were free to those who asked for them. Each man and woman, no matter what he or she produced for the good of the community, was supplied by the neighbours with food and clothing and a house and furniture and ornaments and games. If by chance the supply ever ran short, more was taken from the great storehouses of the ruler, which were afterward filled up again when there was more of any article than the people needed.

It is assumed that dolphins communicate

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows:

Dolphins