ENGLISH COMPETENCY TEST

Directions : Questions 1-15 are incomplete sentences. Beneath each sentences you will see four words or phrase, marked (A), (B), (C), and (D). Choose the one word or phrase that best completes the sentence. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and fill in the space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen. Fill in the space so that the letter inside the oval cannot be seen.

Example I
Geysers have often been compared to volcanoes ……….
They both emit hot liquids from below te earth’s surface.
(A) due to
(B) because
(C) in spite of
(D) regardless of
The sentences should read, “Geysers have often been compared to volcanoes because they both emit hot liquids from below the Earth’s surface.” Therefore, you should choose (B).
NOW BEGIN WORK ON THE QUESTIONS

 

1. Simple photographic lenses cannot …… sharp, undistorted images overa wide field.
   1. to form
   2. are formed
   3. forming
   4. form
2. Of all the factors affecting agricultural yields, weather is the one ……..the most.
   1. it influences farmers
   2. that influences farmers
   3. farmers that it influences
   4. why farmers influence it
3. Beverly Sills, ………., assumed director-ship of the New York City Opera in 1979.
   1. be a star soprano
   2. was a star soprano
   3. a star soprano and
   4. a star soprano
4. …………of tissues is known as histology.
   1. Studying scientific
   2. The scientific study
   3. To study scientifically
   4. That is scientific studying
5. With the exception of mercury, …………at standard temperature and pressure.
   1. the metallic elements are solid
   2. which is a solid metalic element
   3. metallic elements being solid
   4. since the metallic elements are solid
6. Potential dehydration is………..that a land animal faces.
   1. the often greatest hazard
   2. the greatest often hazard
   3. often the greatest hazard
   4. often the hazard greatest
7. By tracking the eye of a hurricane, forecastes can determine the speed at which…….
   1. is a strom moving
   2. a strom is moving
   3. is moving a strom
   4. a moving strom
8. The Grapes of Wrath, a novel about the Depression years of the 1930′s, is one of John Steinbeck’s………..books.
   1. most famous
   2. the most famous
   3. are most famous
   4. and most famous
9. Technology will play a key role in………………..future life-styles.
   1. to shape
   2. shaping
   3. shape of
   4. shaped
10. The computer has dramatically affected………………photographic lences are constructed.
    1. is the way
    2. that the way
    3. which way do
    4. the way
11. The early railroads were………….the existing arteries of transportation: roads, turnpikes, canals, and other waterways.
    1. those short lines connected
    2. short lines that connected
    3. connected by short lines
    4. short connecting lines
12. …………….as a masterpiece, a work of art must transcend the ideals of the period in which it was created.
    1. Rank
    2. The ranking
    3. To be ranked
    4. For being ranked
13. Jackie Robinson,…………to play baseball in the major leagues, joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.
    1. the Black American who first
    2. the first Black American
    3. was the first Black American
    4. the first and Black American who
14. During the flood of 1927, the Red Cross, ……………out of emergency headquarters in Mississipi, set up temporary shelters for the homeless.
    1. operates
    2. is operating
    3. has operated
    4. operating
15. In bacteria and in other organisms,………is the nucleic acid DNA that provides the genetic information.
    1. both
    2. which
    3. and
    4. it

WRITTEN EXPRESSION

Direction : In questions 16-40 each sentences has four underlined words or phrases. The four underlined parts of the sentence are marked (A), (B), (C), and (D). Identify the one underlined word or phrase that must be changed in order for the sentence to be correct. Then on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and fill in the space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen.
Look at the following examples :

Guppies are sometimes call rainbow fish because of the males' bright colors.
                      A             B        C                  D

The sentences shoud read, “Guppies are sometimes called rainbow fish because of the males’ bright colors.” Therefore, you should choose (A).

NOW BEGIN WORK ON THE QUESTIONS.
QUESTIONS 16-40

16. Twenty to thirty year after a mature forest is a cleared away,
            A            B
    a nearly impenetrable thicket of trees and shrubs develops.
       C             D
17. The first national park in word, Yellowstone. National Park, was
      A                      B                                   C
    established in 1872.
                 C
18. Because it does not have a blood supply, the cornea takes their
      A                                B                       C
    oxygen directly from the air.
              D
19. Magnificent mountains and coastal scenery is british columbia’s
                   A            B             C
    chief  tourist attractions.
     D
20. Scientists at universities are often more involved in theoretical
                      A              B          C
    research than is practically research.
                         D
21. John Rosamond Johnson he composed numerous songs, including Lift
                              A                  B       C
    Every Voice and Sing, for which his brother, James Weldon Johnson,
                              D
    wrote the words.

22. Nylon, a synthetic done from a combination of water, air, and a
                        A              B
    by-product of coal, was first introduced in 1938.
                 C                   D
23. Ornithology, the study of birds, is one of the major scientific
                                                      A
    fields in which amateurs play a role in accumulating, researching,
     B                        C
    and publish data.
          D
24. Animation is a technique for creativity the illusion of life in
                      A             B                       C
    inanimate things.
                D
25. The nonviolent protest advocated by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
                                     A
    proving highly effective in an age of expanding television news
      B                                      C
    coverage.
      D
26. On December 7, 1787, Delaware became a first state to ratify the
     A                               B   C               D
    Constitution.

27. Nutritionists believe what diet affects how one feels physically
        A                 B                 C                 D
    and emotionally.

28. Mealii Kalama, creator or over 400 Hawaiian quilts, was granted a
                               A                            B
    National Heritage Fellowship in 1985 for herself contributions to
                                               C        D
    folk art.

29. A jetty serves to define and deepen a channel, improve navigate,
               A                            B                C
    or protect a harbor.
                  D
30. Minoru Yamasaki is an American architect which works departed from
                                               A             B
    the austerity frequently associated with architecture in the
                     C                   D
    United States after the Second World War.

31. Chemical research provides information that is useful when the
                         A                                  B
    textile industry in the creation of synthetic fabrics.
      C                        D
32. Jane Addams, social worker, author, and spokeswoman for the peace
                                                 A
    and women’s suffrage movements, she received the Nobel Peace Prize
                             B         C
    in 1931 for her humanitarian achievements.
                        D
33. Bromyrite crystals have a diamond-like luster and are usually
                        A
    colorless, but they dark to brown when exposed to light.
      B                  C                    D
34. Stars in our universe very in temperature, color, bright, size,
     A                         B                         C
    and mass.
         D
35. Ice is less denser than the liquid from which it is formed.
                  A      B                 C       D
36. The 1983 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to Barbara McClintock
                                          A
    for her experiments with maize and her discoveries regardless the
                 B                             C          D
    nature of DNA.

37. In 1866 to 1883, the bison population in North America was reduced
    A                                                         B
    from an estimated 13 million to a few hundred.
               C                             D
38. Most of the damage property attributed to the San Fransisco
                     A                     B
    earthquake of 1906 resulted from the fire that followed.
               C                                   D
39. James Baldwin’s plays and short stories, which are to some degree
                                                 A           B
    autobiographical, established them as a leading figure in the
                                    C          D
    United States civil rights movement.

40. Thunder can be listened from a maximum distance of about ten miles
                     A                B
    except under unusual atmospheric conditions.
      C            D

 

The hippopotamus is the third largest land animal, smaller only than the elephant and the rhinoceros. Its name comes from two Greek words which mean “river horse.” The long name of this animal is often shortened to the easier to handle term “hippo.”

The hippo has natural affinity for the water. It does not float on top of the water; instead, it can easily walk along the bottom of a body water. The hippo commonly remains underwater for three to five minutes and has been known to stay under for up to half an hour before coming up for air.

In spite of its name, the hippo has relatively little in common with the horse and instead has a number of interesting similarities in common with the whale. When a hippo comes up after a stay at the bottom of a lake or river, it releases air through a blowhole, just like a whale. In addition, the hippo resembles the whale in that they both have thick layers of blubber for protection and they are almost completely hairless.

1. The topic of this passage is …..
A. the largest land animals
B. the derivation of animal names
C. the characteristics of the hippo
D. the relation between the hippo and the whale

2. It can be inferred from the passage that the rhinoceros is …..
A. smaller than the hippo
B. equal in size to the elephant
C. a hybrid of the hippo and the elephant
D. one of the two largest types of land animals

3. The possessive “Its” in line 2 refers to …..
A. hippopotamus
B. elephant
C. rhinoceros
D. horse

4. It can be inferred from the passage that the hippopotamus is commonly called a hippo because the word “hippo” is …..
A. simpler to pronounce
B. scientifically more accurate
C. the original name
D. easier for the animal to recognize

5. The word “float” in line 4 is closest in meaning to …..
A. sink
B. drift
C. eat
D. flap

6. According to the passage, what is the maximum time that hippos have been known to stay underwater?
A. Three minutes
B. Five minutes
C. Thirty minutes
D. Ninety minutes

7. The expression “has relatively little in common” in line 8 could best be replaced by …..
A. has few interactions
B. is not normally found
C. has minimal experience
D. shares few similarities

8. The passage states that one way in which a hippo is similar to a whale is that …..
A. they both live on the bottoms of rivers
B. they both have blowholes
C. they are both named after horses
D. they both breathe underwater

9. The word “blubber” in line 12 is closest in meaning to …..
A. fat
B. metal
C. water
D. skin

10. The passage states that the hippo does not …..
A. like water
B. resemble the whale
C. have a protective coating
D. have much hair

Schizophrenia is often confused with multiple personality disorder yet is quite distinct from it. Schizophrenia is one of the more common mental disorders, considerably more common than multiple personality disorder. The term “Schizophrenia” is composed of roots which mean “a splitting of the mind,” but it does not refer to a division into separate and distinct personalities, as occurs in multiple personality disorder. Instead, Schizophrenic behavior is generally characterized by illogical thought patterns and withdrawal from reality. Schizophrenics often live in a fantasy world where they hear voices that others cannot hear, often voices of famous people. Schizophrenics tend to withdraw from families and friends and communicate mainly with the “voices” that they hear in their minds.

It is common for the symptoms of Schizophrenia to develop during the late teen years or early twenties, but causes of Schizophrenia are not well understood. It is believed that heredity may play a part in the onset of Schizophrenia. In addition, abnormal brain chemistry also seems to have a role; certain brain chemicals, called neurotransmitters, have been found to be at abnormal levels in some Schizophrenics.

11. The paragraph preceding the passage most probably discusses …..
A. the causes of schizophrenia
B. multiple personality disorder
C. the most common mental disorder
D. possible cures for schizophrenia
12. Which of the following is true about schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder?
A. They are relatively similar
B. One is a psychological disorder, while the other is not
C. Many people mistake one for the other
D. Multiple personality disorder occurs more often than schizophrenia
13. “Disorder” in line 3 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
A. Disruption
B. Untidiness
C. Misalignment
D. Disease
14. It can be inferred from the passage that a “schism” is …..
A. a division into factions
B. a mental disease
C. a personality trait
D. a part of the brain
15. What is NOT true about schizophrenia, according to the passage?
A. It is characterized by separate and distinct personalities
B. It often causes withdrawal from reality
C. Its symtomps include illogical thought patterns
D. Its victims tend to hear voices in their minds
16. According to the passage, how do schizophrenics generally relate to their families?
A. They are quite friendly with their families
B. They become remote from their families
C. They have an enhanced ability to understand their families
D. They communicate openly with their families
17. It can be inferred from the passage that it would be least common for schizophrenia to develop at the age of …..
A. fifteen
B. twenty
C. twenty-five
D. Thirty
18. The word “onset” in line 12 is closest in meaning to …..
A. start
B. medication
C. effect
D. age
19. The word “abnormal” in line 12 is closest in meaning to …..
A. unstable
B. unregulated
C. uncharted
D. unusual
20. Where in the passage does the author explain the derivation of the term “schizophrenia”?
A. Lines 3-5
B. Lines 5-7
C. Lines 10-11
D. Lines 12-14

 

What makes it rain? Rain falls from clouds for the same reason anything falls to Earth. The Earth’s gravity pulls it. But every cluod s made of water droplets or ice crystals. Why doesn’t rain or snow fall constantly from all clouds? The droplets or ice crystals in clouds are exceedingly small. The effect of gravity on them is minute. Air currents move and lift droplets so that the net downward displacement is zero, even though the droplets are in constant motion.

Droplets and ice crystals behave somewhat like dust in the air made visible in a shaft of sunlight. To the casual observer, dust seems to act in a totally random fashion, moving about chaotically without fixed direction. But in fact dust particles are much larger than water droplets and they finally fall. The average size of a cloud droplet is only 0.0004 inch in diameter. It is so out of moving air at all. Only when the droplet grows to a diameter of 0.008 inch or larger can it fall from the cloud. The average raindrop contains million times as much water as a tiny cloud droplet. The growth of a cloud droplet to a size large enough to fall out is the cause of rain and other forms of precipitation. This important growth process is called “coalescence.”

21. What is the main topic of the passage ?
A. The mechanics of rain
B. The weather patterns of North America
C. How Earth’s gravity affects agriculture
D. Types of clouds
22. The word “minute” in line 4 is closet in meaning to wich of the folowing?
A. second
B. tiny
C. slow
D. steady
23. The word “motion” in line 6 is closest in meaning to …..
A. wind
B. change
C. movement
D. humidity
24. Ice crystals do NOT immediately fall to Earth because …..
A. they are kept aloft by air currents
B. they combain with other chemicals in the atmosphere
C. most of them evaporate
D. their electeical charges draw them away from the earth
25. The word “random” in line 8 is closest in meaning to …..
A. unpredictable
B. perplexing
C. independent
D. abnormal
26. What can be inferred about drops of water larger than 0.008 inch in diameter?
A. They never occur.
B. They are not affected by the force of gravity.
C. In still air they would fall to earth.
D. In moving air they fall at a speed of thirty-two miles per hour.
27. How much bigger is a rain drop than a cloud droplet?
A. 200 times bigger
B. 1,000 times bigger
C. 100,000 times bigger
D. 1,000,000 times bigger
28. In this passage, what does the term “coalescence” refer to?
A. The gathering of small clouds to form larger clouds
B. The growth of droplets
C. The effect of gravity on precipitation
D. The movement of dust particles in the sunlight

 

Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in Vinci, Italy. He was thei llegitimate son of Ser Piero, a Florentine notary and landlord, but lived on the estate and was treated as a legitimate son. In 1483, Leonardo da Vinci drew the first model of a helicopter. It did not look very much like our modern day “copter,” but the idea of what it could do was about the same.

Leonardo was an artist and sculptor. He was very interested in motion and movement and tried to show it in his art. In order to show movement, he found it helpful to study the way things moved. One subject he liked to study was birds and how they flew. He spent many hours watching the birds and examining the structure of their wings. He noticed how they cupped air with their wings and how the feathers helped hold the air. Through these studies, Leonardo began to understand how birds were able to fly.

Like many other men, Leonardo began to dream of the day when people would be able to fly. He designed a machine that used all the things he had learned about flight, and thus became the first model of a helicopter. Poor Leonardo had only one problem, however. He had no way to give the necessary speed to his invention. You see, motors had not yet been invented and speed was an important part of the flying process. It would be another four hundred years before the engine was invented and another fifty years before it was put to the test in an airplane. Leonardo’s dream of a helicopter finally came to pass in 1936.

The Italian painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, and scientist, Leonardo died on May 2, 1519, and was buried in the cloister of San Fiorentino in Amboise.

29. What is the author’s main point?
A. The invention of the helicopter.
B. Birds cup air with their wings and use feathers to help hold the air.
C. An overview of one of Leonardo da Vinci’s many skills.
D. Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452 and died in 1519.
30. The word problem in paragraph five could best be replaced by the word …..
A. dilemma
B. mistake
C. danger
D. pain
31. The word it in paragraph two refers to …..
A. Leonardo da Vinci
B. The first model helicopter
C. 1483
D. motion and movement
32. Which paragraph explains why Leonardo’s helicopter was not successful in his lifetime …..
A. paragraph 1
B. paragraph 2
C. paragraph 4
D. paragraph 5
33. The word illegitimate in paragraph one is closest in meaning to …..
A. against the law or illegal
B. not in correct usage
C. ncorrectly deduced; illogical
D. born out of wedlock
34. The following sentence would best complete which paragraph?
“Since then people have been living out Leonardo’s dream of flying.”
A. paragraph 3
B. paragraph 4
C. paragraph 5
D. paragraph 2
35. What was the main problem with Leonardo’s invention?
A. motors were not yet invented
B. the birds lost their feathers
C. he was illegitimate
D. he couldn’t draw
36. The word they in the third paragraph refers to …..
A. the feathers
B. the birds
C. the studies
D. the wings
37. In what year was the first helicopter flown?
A. 1483
B. 1452
C. 1519
D. 1936
38. What two things did birds have that Leonardo da Vinci noticed helped them to fly?
A. wings and beaks
B. feathers and talons
C. wings and feathers
D. cups and feathers
39. The word thus in the fourth paragraph could best be replaced by …..
A. Hence
B. After
C. Unsuitably
D. Inappropriately

 

Glass fibers are extremely strong; for their weight, they are stronger than steel. They are made by forcing molten glass through tiny holes called spinnerets. As many as four hundred spinnerets are placed together, and threads of glass much thinner than human hairs are drawn off at great speed-miles of thread per minute. As they speed along, the threads are coated thinly with a type of glue and twisted into a yarn. The glass fibers are used with plastics to make boats and car bodies. They are also woven into heavy cloth for window draperies and into strong belts for making tires stronger.

A special kind of glass fiber is causing a revolution in communications. A signal of light can be made to travel along the fiber for very long distances. By changing the quality of the light, many messages can be sent at once along one strand of glass. New office buildings are being “wired” with glass fibers as they are built. The glass fibers will be used to connect telephones and computers in ways that not long ago were either impossible or too expensive.

Glass wool traps air in a thick, light blanket of fibers. This blanket is then put into walls and ceilings to keep warm air in during the winter and cool air in during the Summer.

To make glass wool, molten glass is fed into a spinning drum with many holes in it. As the glass threads stream out of the holes, they are forced downward by a blast of hot air and through a spray of glues. The threads are then further blown about to mix them up as they fall in a thick mat on a moving belt.

The glass we see through and drink out of has many, many other uses besides the ones described here.

40. What was the author’s main purpose in writing the article?
A. To inform you how special kinds of glass are made and used
B. To persuade you to investigate the many uses of glass beyond those mentioned in the article
C. To inform you about the strength of glass fibers
D. To inform you that glue is used to hold strands of glass together
41. The word special in the second paragraph is closets in meaning to …..
A. Distinct among others of a kind
B. Additional
C. Common
D. Species
42. Glass fibers are made by forcing molten glass through …..
A. Spinners
B. Spiderets
C. Spinnerets
D. Spinets
43. The word changing in the second paragraph could best be replaced by the word …..
A. Altering
B. Boring
C. Bringing
D. Doing
44. What are glass fibers woven into cloth for?
A. Draperies
B. Cars and boats
C. Glasses
D. Glue
45. The word fed in the fourth paragraph means …..
A. To give food to
B. To minister to
C. To support
D. To supply
46. The word they in the second sentence of the first paragraph refers to …..
A. Human hair
B. Weight
C. Glass fibers
D. Yarn
47. The word it in the fourth paragraph refers to …..
A. Molten glass
B. Glass wool
C. Spinning drum
D. Holes
48. The following sentence would best complete which paragraph?
“This improvement in technology is expected to continue.”
A. Paragraph 1
B. Paragraph 2
C. Paragraph 3
D. Paragraph 4
49. A signal of what can be made to travel along fiber for very long distances?
A. Heat
B. Wave
C. Wool
D. Light
50. The word spray in the fourth paragraph could best be replaced by the word …..
A. Shower
B. Blow
C. Spit
D. Force