Reading Comprehension

The author was thrown across the room because

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

I climbed into bed and rolled myself in my blanket, first extinguishing the light that burned steadily near the door. I lay still, trying to get to sleep but my fear made that impossible and soon I sat up in bed peering into the darkness and occasionally glancing at the round window in the side of the ship, which seemed like a plate suspended in the darkness. For an hour, I must have sat like this, and then a draught of cold air suddenly roused me. I jumped out of bed; not having allowed for the motion of the ship, I was instantly thrown violently across the room.

The author jumped out of bed because

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

I climbed into bed and rolled myself in my blanket, first extinguishing the light that burned steadily near the door. I lay still, trying to get to sleep but my fear made that impossible and soon I sat up in bed peering into the darkness and occasionally glancing at the round window in the side of the ship, which seemed like a plate suspended in the darkness. For an hour, I must have sat like this, and then a draught of cold air suddenly roused me. I jumped out of bed; not having allowed for the motion of the ship, I was instantly thrown violently across the room.

Higher suicide rates during rapid progress in a society is a manifestation of:

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

Emile Durkheim, the first person to be formally recognised as a sociologist and the most scientific of the pioneers, conducted a study that stands as a research model for sociologists today. His investigation of suicide was, in fact, the first sociological study to use statistics. In ‘Suicide’ (1964, originally published in 1897) Durkheim documented his contention that some aspects of human behaviour, even something as allegedly individualistic as suicide, can be explained without reference to individuals.
Like all of Durkheim’s work, suicide must be viewed within the context of his concern for social integration. Durkheim wanted to see if suicide rates within a social entity (for example a group, organisation, or society) are related to the degree to which individuals are socially involved (integrated and regulated). Durkheim described three types of suicide; egoistic, anomic, and altruistic. Egoistic suicide is promoted when individuals do not have sufficient social ties. Since single (never married) adults, for example, are not heavily involved with family life, they are more likely to commit suicide than are married adults. Altruistic suicide on the other hand, is more likely to occur when social integration is too strong. The ritual suicide of Hindu widows on their husband’s funeral pyres is one example. Military personnel, trained to lay down their lives for their country, provide another illustration.
Durkheim’s third type of suicide—anomic suicide—increases when the social regulation of individuals is disrupted. For example, suicide rates increase during economic depressions. People who suddenly find themselves without a job or without hope of finding one are more prone to kill themselves. Suicides may also increase during periods of prosperity. People may loosen their social ties by taking new jobs, moving to new communities, or finding new mates.
Using data from the government population reports of several countries (much of it from the French Government Statistical Office), Durkheim found strong support for his line of reasoning. Suicide rates were higher among single than married people, among military personnel than civilians, among divorced than married people, and among people involved in nationwide economic crises.
It is important to realise that Durkheim’s primary interest was not in the empirical (observable) indicators he used such as suicide rates among military personnel, married people and so forth. Rather, Durkheim used the following indicators to support several of his contentions:
(1) social behaviour can be explained by social rather than psychological factors: (2) suicide is affected by the degree of integration and regulation within social entities; and (3) since society can be studied scientifically, sociology is worthy of recognition in the academic world. Durkheim was successful on all three counts.

What is the passage most likely to be?

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

Marilyn Monroe
For a scene she was shooting for Some Like it Hot in 1959, Marilyn Monroe was supposed to enter a room, walk to a dressing table, rummage through the drawers, find a bottle of bourbon and ask for a drink. She messed up the line no fewer than 47 times in a row – still far from the famously forgetful movie star’s record of 82 takes.
“On the 46th take,” recalled director Billy Wilder, “I told her we had put the line on pieces of paper and they were in a drawer she would open.” Unfortunately, “she went to the wrong piece of furniture.”
Sir John Gielgud The distinguished British actor Sir John Gielgud was dining in a restaurant with a playwright when Gielgud spied someone he thought he recognised. “Did you see that man just coming in?” he asked his companion. “He’s the biggest bore in London, second only to Edward Knoblock.”
At that moment he remembered that Edward Knoblock was in fact the man sitting across from him. “Not you, of course,” Gielgud quickly added. “I mean the other Edward Knoblock.”
Alan Devlin Irish actor Alan Devlin was known for his habit of leaving the stage in a fit of pique in mid performance. On one such occasion, while appearing in HMS Pinafore at the Dublin Gaiety Theatre in 1987, he looked out at the audience and shouted, “I’m going home! Finish it yourself!”

Who are the supersensers?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows.
 
But every once in a while, Moylan reports to a special lab where the air is pressurised and filtered to eliminate any outside odours. There she uses a very different set of tools: her own nose and tongue.
She is not alone. Men and women around the world are using their unusually heightened senses to detect smells, tastes, sounds and images that many ordinary humans don’t even know are there. There are not many of these extraordinary people about, but they have senses significantly more acute, discerning or powerful than the norm. They are the supersensers.
Whether due to nature or nurture, supersensers are able to smell scents, taste flavours, hear sounds, feel sensations and see details that elude the rest of us. Moylan, for example, has a naturally acute sense of taste and smell that she has enhanced through extensive training.
Special Powers Whatever their origin, heightened senses can enrich experiences, boost careers and even help save lives. But amplified senses can also be distracting, overwhelming and painful, leaving the supersenser longing for a respite from sensory overload. To the rest of us who don’t have such gifts, supersensers’ abilities can be confusing and even downright eerie.

Who was Oliver's original partner?

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

When Oliver was born, he was such a little thing. He grew into a 45 kg dog, and despite his size, didn’t have a mean bone in his body. He looked strong and fierce to outsiders, but was gentle, clumsy and lovable with us.
When Oliver’s partner - in - crime, Tessa, passed away, he was downcast for a long time. So we decided to buy another dog and got Albert, a little Maltese - cross - Bichon Frise. I was very protective of Albert. As Oliver was so big, I worried he might sit on Albert and squash him.
Eventually we moved to the country, where Oliver and Albert had more freedom. They became the best of friends; I no longer worried about Oliver hurting Albert because he was so gentle and understanding. When we went out, Albert was allowed to come along. This confused Oliver, who couldn’t understand why he wasn’t allowed to sit in the car, too. Albert was allowed in the house, but because of his size, Oliver was not. He sat on the doorstep and watched from there.
One day we arrived home with Albert sitting in the front seat of the car. I opened the door and in jumped Oliver, who squashed on top of us. We all had a great laugh, and I’m sure Oliver was embarrassed.

What kind of link could be an illegitimate site?

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

Don’t use passwords or user IDs that include personal information such as your birth date.
Don’t use your mother’s maiden name as a security question. Pick something more obscure, such as your childhood pet’s name.
Don’t leave passwords in plain view – on your monitor, for example.
Don’t use the same password for multiple sites. If crooks crack your Twitter account, they can access your bank account, too.
Do create passwords that are at least eight to 16 characters long, with a mix of capital letters, numbers and symbols. They’re harder to crack.
Do use random pattern codes to create passwords. For example, pick two computer keys – say, 4 and 7. Type straight down the keyboard from 4 until you reach the bottom (the letter V), then type one character to the left. Then do the same for 7, this time using all caps. You now have a meaningless password that reads 4rfvc7UJMN, but all you have to remember is 47. Or use the first letter of each word in a line from a favourite song or poem.
Do change passwords often, about once a month.
Do hold your cursor over an unknown link before clicking on it, and look at the bottom of your web browser. It will show where the link is actually taking you to. Do note the wording before the .com, .com.au, .org.au (or similar) part of the URL. It’s what counts. So while paypal.com is legitimate, paypal.1234.com is fake.
Do look out for links with the @ symbol. Browsers ignore everything to the left of it, so [email protected] is not a PayPal site.
Do watch for deliberate misspellings – such as paypol. com – designed to trick you into clicking.

What happens after an onion is cut?

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

Let’s look at it from the point of view of the onion. An onion is perfectly polite to us until we start hacking at it with a knife. Alas, the act of cutting enlivens a gas, propanethiol S-oxide, which works in tandem with the enzymes in the onion to unleash a passive sulphur compound found within the onion.
The result: as you cut, the gas moves upwards and, combined with the water in your eyes, creates sulphuric acid.
Your eyes aren’t happy, even if you are, and react in the only way they know how when irritated by a foreign substance - they start tearing. Rubbing your eyes with your hands is about the worst way to alleviate the problem, since your hands are likely full of the tear - inducing agent too. We’ve heard all kinds of folk remedies for onion tears, ranging from rubbing the onion with lemon to wearing gloves as you cut to donning scuba diving masks while performing surgery. But we’re of the old school: no pain, no gain.

What kind of a code is harder to crack?

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

Don’t use passwords or user IDs that include personal information such as your birth date.
Don’t use your mother’s maiden name as a security question. Pick something more obscure, such as your childhood pet’s name.
Don’t leave passwords in plain view – on your monitor, for example.
Don’t use the same password for multiple sites. If crooks crack your Twitter account, they can access your bank account, too.
Do create passwords that are at least eight to 16 characters long, with a mix of capital letters, numbers and symbols. They’re harder to crack.
Do use random pattern codes to create passwords. For example, pick two computer keys – say, 4 and 7. Type straight down the keyboard from 4 until you reach the bottom (the letter V), then type one character to the left. Then do the same for 7, this time using all caps. You now have a meaningless password that reads 4rfvc7UJMN, but all you have to remember is 47. Or use the first letter of each word in a line from a favourite song or poem.
Do change passwords often, about once a month.
Do hold your cursor over an unknown link before clicking on it, and look at the bottom of your web browser. It will show where the link is actually taking you to. Do note the wording before the .com, .com.au, .org.au (or similar) part of the URL. It’s what counts. So while paypal.com is legitimate, paypal.1234.com is fake.
Do look out for links with the @ symbol. Browsers ignore everything to the left of it, so [email protected] is not a PayPal site.
Do watch for deliberate misspellings – such as paypol. com – designed to trick you into clicking.

Why are the supersenser’s abilities confusing to normal people?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows.
 
But every once in a while, Moylan reports to a special lab where the air is pressurised and filtered to eliminate any outside odours. There she uses a very different set of tools: her own nose and tongue.
She is not alone. Men and women around the world are using their unusually heightened senses to detect smells, tastes, sounds and images that many ordinary humans don’t even know are there. There are not many of these extraordinary people about, but they have senses significantly more acute, discerning or powerful than the norm. They are the supersensers.
Whether due to nature or nurture, supersensers are able to smell scents, taste flavours, hear sounds, feel sensations and see details that elude the rest of us. Moylan, for example, has a naturally acute sense of taste and smell that she has enhanced through extensive training.
Special Powers Whatever their origin, heightened senses can enrich experiences, boost careers and even help save lives. But amplified senses can also be distracting, overwhelming and painful, leaving the supersenser longing for a respite from sensory overload. To the rest of us who don’t have such gifts, supersensers’ abilities can be confusing and even downright eerie.

Using the first letter of each word in a line from a favourite song or poem, in a password makes it:

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

Don’t use passwords or user IDs that include personal information such as your birth date.
Don’t use your mother’s maiden name as a security question. Pick something more obscure, such as your childhood pet’s name.
Don’t leave passwords in plain view – on your monitor, for example.
Don’t use the same password for multiple sites. If crooks crack your Twitter account, they can access your bank account, too.
Do create passwords that are at least eight to 16 characters long, with a mix of capital letters, numbers and symbols. They’re harder to crack.
Do use random pattern codes to create passwords. For example, pick two computer keys – say, 4 and 7. Type straight down the keyboard from 4 until you reach the bottom (the letter V), then type one character to the left. Then do the same for 7, this time using all caps. You now have a meaningless password that reads 4rfvc7UJMN, but all you have to remember is 47. Or use the first letter of each word in a line from a favourite song or poem.
Do change passwords often, about once a month.
Do hold your cursor over an unknown link before clicking on it, and look at the bottom of your web browser. It will show where the link is actually taking you to. Do note the wording before the .com, .com.au, .org.au (or similar) part of the URL. It’s what counts. So while paypal.com is legitimate, paypal.1234.com is fake.
Do look out for links with the @ symbol. Browsers ignore everything to the left of it, so [email protected] is not a PayPal site.
Do watch for deliberate misspellings – such as paypol. com – designed to trick you into clicking.

What increases the problem if the person is already crying due to the onion?

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

Let’s look at it from the point of view of the onion. An onion is perfectly polite to us until we start hacking at it with a knife. Alas, the act of cutting enlivens a gas, propanethiol S-oxide, which works in tandem with the enzymes in the onion to unleash a passive sulphur compound found within the onion.
The result: as you cut, the gas moves upwards and, combined with the water in your eyes, creates sulphuric acid.
Your eyes aren’t happy, even if you are, and react in the only way they know how when irritated by a foreign substance - they start tearing. Rubbing your eyes with your hands is about the worst way to alleviate the problem, since your hands are likely full of the tear - inducing agent too. We’ve heard all kinds of folk remedies for onion tears, ranging from rubbing the onion with lemon to wearing gloves as you cut to donning scuba diving masks while performing surgery. But we’re of the old school: no pain, no gain.

What kind of problems do the supersensers face?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows.
 
But every once in a while, Moylan reports to a special lab where the air is pressurised and filtered to eliminate any outside odours. There she uses a very different set of tools: her own nose and tongue.
She is not alone. Men and women around the world are using their unusually heightened senses to detect smells, tastes, sounds and images that many ordinary humans don’t even know are there. There are not many of these extraordinary people about, but they have senses significantly more acute, discerning or powerful than the norm. They are the supersensers.
Whether due to nature or nurture, supersensers are able to smell scents, taste flavours, hear sounds, feel sensations and see details that elude the rest of us. Moylan, for example, has a naturally acute sense of taste and smell that she has enhanced through extensive training.
Special Powers Whatever their origin, heightened senses can enrich experiences, boost careers and even help save lives. But amplified senses can also be distracting, overwhelming and painful, leaving the supersenser longing for a respite from sensory overload. To the rest of us who don’t have such gifts, supersensers’ abilities can be confusing and even downright eerie.

What confused Oliver sometimes?

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

When Oliver was born, he was such a little thing. He grew into a 45 kg dog, and despite his size, didn’t have a mean bone in his body. He looked strong and fierce to outsiders, but was gentle, clumsy and lovable with us.
When Oliver’s partner - in - crime, Tessa, passed away, he was downcast for a long time. So we decided to buy another dog and got Albert, a little Maltese - cross - Bichon Frise. I was very protective of Albert. As Oliver was so big, I worried he might sit on Albert and squash him.
Eventually we moved to the country, where Oliver and Albert had more freedom. They became the best of friends; I no longer worried about Oliver hurting Albert because he was so gentle and understanding. When we went out, Albert was allowed to come along. This confused Oliver, who couldn’t understand why he wasn’t allowed to sit in the car, too. Albert was allowed in the house, but because of his size, Oliver was not. He sat on the doorstep and watched from there.
One day we arrived home with Albert sitting in the front seat of the car. I opened the door and in jumped Oliver, who squashed on top of us. We all had a great laugh, and I’m sure Oliver was embarrassed.

What was the record number of takes which Marilyn Monroe had taken.

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

Marilyn Monroe
For a scene she was shooting for Some Like it Hot in 1959, Marilyn Monroe was supposed to enter a room, walk to a dressing table, rummage through the drawers, find a bottle of bourbon and ask for a drink. She messed up the line no fewer than 47 times in a row – still far from the famously forgetful movie star’s record of 82 takes.
“On the 46th take,” recalled director Billy Wilder, “I told her we had put the line on pieces of paper and they were in a drawer she would open.” Unfortunately, “she went to the wrong piece of furniture.”
Sir John Gielgud The distinguished British actor Sir John Gielgud was dining in a restaurant with a playwright when Gielgud spied someone he thought he recognised. “Did you see that man just coming in?” he asked his companion. “He’s the biggest bore in London, second only to Edward Knoblock.”
At that moment he remembered that Edward Knoblock was in fact the man sitting across from him. “Not you, of course,” Gielgud quickly added. “I mean the other Edward Knoblock.”
Alan Devlin Irish actor Alan Devlin was known for his habit of leaving the stage in a fit of pique in mid performance. On one such occasion, while appearing in HMS Pinafore at the Dublin Gaiety Theatre in 1987, he looked out at the audience and shouted, “I’m going home! Finish it yourself!”