Reading Comprehension MCQ Test With Answers + PDF Exercise 09

(Please note: The following questions are related to a specific reading passage, available solely before the first question. Remember, referring back to the reading text while answering the questions may be helpful to ensure accuracy.)

Jesse Owens was one of the world’s most famous track stars. The newspapers of his day called him “the world’s fastest human.” This was because he could run faster and jump further than any other man of the time. He was born in 1913. The son of a poor black family with six other brothers and sisters, the first years of his life were very difficult. He was close to death many times during his youth, due to illness. However, the care of his mother and father helped him to pull through each time. He started running and training in school and while in college at Ohio State University, he entered a national competition. During this competition, he set four world records. In 1936, the Olympic Games took place in Germany. This was the Germany of Hitler, who did not believe that any race of people was superior to the Germans. Jesse won the gold medal for each of the events he entered during the games and became one of the most popular athletes in the world.

Hitler _____.

Jesse Owens _____.

According to the passage, _____.

Cosmetics have been used for thousands of years to enhance the appearance of people and also to help keep them clean and healthy. We know that cosmetics were commonly used in ancient Egypt. Many beautiful jars and bottles, which held oils and perfumes, have been found and can be seen in museums. Men, in some primitive tribes and societies, also paint their faces and bodies. This is usually done to signify that they hold a high rank. Sometimes, however, it is used to indicate that the people of that group are participating in some form of ceremony. Today, in our society, cosmetics are primarily used to improve the appearance of people and to make them appear healthy. Obtaining cosmetics today is not difficult. Many are made affordably from synthetic materials and vegetable oils.

Cosmetics have been _____.

Cosmetics not only make people look good but also _____.

Egyptians used jars and bottles _____.

When Christopher Columbus set sail in 1492 from Spain, his destination was not America. In fact, he did not even know that the vast American continents existed. His purpose in sailing west was to reach the Indies more quickly than other ships, which used a route around Africa. The Indies were a source of wealth for Europeans during those days. The treasures of spices, silks, and so on were greatly valued by Europeans but were extremely difficult to obtain. When Columbus reached the islands that are now known as the West Indies, he believed he had reached Asia and he called the people living there ‘Indians’.

In 1492, Columbus _____.

Spices, silks and other treasures _____.

Columbus believed _____.

In order to make the first clock, one had to first divide the day into hours and minutes. The Babylonians were the first to divide the hour into 60 minutes and the minute into 60 seconds. The Egyptians created shadow clocks, which later became sundials. Around 100 B.C., the first hourglass was used. These were usually timed for one hour. The Greeks and Romans later used water clocks, which had been developed by the Chinese and were called clepsydras. The first mechanical clocks were developed in Europe in the 1300s. These were improved, and in 1656, a Dutchman designed the first pendulum clock, which was more accurate than the other clocks of the time. After World War II, the atomic clock was developed and is still the world’s most accurate clock. The quartz crystal clocks and watches that were developed in the 1960s and ’70s are also extremely accurate, second in accuracy only to the atomic clock.

The first clocks _____.

Today _____.

The Chinese _____.

During the Gulf War, the extent of the development of television and radio news broadcasting became very apparent. CNN reporter Peter Arnett provided live coverage of the situation in Baghdad, the capital city of Iraq. The telephone lines, which were constantly open and filled with minute-by-minute reports of the unfolding events, served as the primary means of communication. Although they were not granted complete freedom in the use of their television cameras, the scenes they were able to broadcast were viewed worldwide with interest and astonishment. People all over the world were able to follow the events of the war as they occurred, right from their living room television sets.

The Gulf War was the first war in which _____.

According to the passage, Peter Arnett was _____.

According to the passage, telephone lines _____.