Short Advanced Reading Comprehension Test 18 With MCQs and Answers

(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.)

What is the current role of the United States? Is it, as some say, a station in decline, one that is falling behind in the competitive arena of international trade? Or is it undergoing a process of adaptation and renewal? A spate of books has been published on the subject during the past few years, and these have sparked a wide-ranging public debate over these concerns. One of the best-known of these books is Paul Kennedy's Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, in fact, Paul Kennedy is the most prominent of the decline theorists. Examining the history of great powers such as 16th century Spain and the British Empire around 1900, he identifies a pattern of "imperial overstretch". To maintain a position of dominance, great powers over time find themselves devoting an increasing share of their resources to military security. This often leads to a neglect of technological innovation, and, ultimately, to a decline in economic strength.

The questions with which the author begins this passage _____.

In his work "Rise and Fall of Great Powers", Paul Kennedy _____.

In accordance with the passage, the question of the current role of the United States _____.

The main advantage of prefabrication is twofold: it is quicker and it does away with uncertainty. Construction speed is significant these days due to the high cost of land: the time during which such an expensive commodity is out of use must be reduced to a minimum. And partly or wholly prefabricated methods of construction save time on the job because parts are prepared in the factory beforehand. Prefabrication does away with uncertainty because it means that the whole building is made of standard parts the behaviour of which is known and has been tested.

Since land is very precious, it is important that _____.

The only advantage of using prefabricated parts is that _____.

When a building is founded from standard parts that have been well-tested, _____.

Computers can store a vast amount of information in a very small space and are used by banks to keep accounts and control transactions. They are also used by the police to keep personal, records, fingerprints and other details. In the developing field of robotics, computers are now being used to control manual operations done by machines, These two are taking over work, previously done by humans, in the manufacture of cars, weaving and other industries. Computers play an important role in controlling artificial satellites,' decoding information and communications generally. They are used to predict the weather with increasing accuracy.

One can understand from the passage that _____.

The author implies that _____.

The passage is not related to _____.

As the major cost of advanced education, if the student is away from home, is board and lodging one can argue that as far as possible the expansion of public education beyond high school should be arranged reasonably. Otherwise, in order to offer equal opportunities, we should have to envisage using public funds to provide years of free board and room for a considerable fraction of our high school graduates. But there are different types of professional and vocational education which can be given at only a few centres in even a very populous state. It is literally impossible, for example, to give adequate instruction in clinical medicine except in cities of sufficient size to support large hospitals. Similarly, advanced work in the arts, sciences, and letters can be done only where adequate libraries and laboratories are at hand. It is clearly in the national interest to find all the latent talent available for the lengthy training that research centres at every point in the United States where general education beyond high school is desired would be not merely uneconomical, but impossible.

What is mainly mentioned in the passage?

In accordance with the author, all public education beyond high school cannot be arranged locally because _____.

The author implies that _____.

Looking ahead from the present position where food production has kept ahead of population growth globally but has fallen per capita in 55 (mainly African) countries, it would seem that these trends will carry on. About 30 countries most of which are African can expect serious problems unless they reduce population growth and give higher priority to agriculture and conservation. Though warmer, wetter earth with high CO2 levels is likely to be capable of producing more food, the amounts will still be inadequate for many poorer countries. In many circumstances, the population projections are greater than the entire local land resources can support.

Among all the countries in the world, it is those in Africa _____.

It is discussed in the passage that _____.

In accordance with the passage, it is anticipated that _____.

Psychology is literally the study of the mind (or soul) but its area has broadened somewhat in the last century as we have learned that one cannot consider the mind as totally isolated from the body, and it now covers the study of human personality and behaviour. Psychologists also deal with the behaviour and brain of animals whenever such studies throw light on human behaviour. It is important to realize that psychologists are first and foremost trained as scientists rather than as medical experts and do not necessarily take much interest in abnormalities of the brain and mental process.

As can be concluded from the passage, psychology _____.

In the passage, attention is shown to the fact that _____.

It is implied in the passage that _____.

Aid to underdeveloped countries takes many forms and it is given for several reasons. Underdeveloped countries need aid to provide finance for development projects, to provide the foreign exchange with which imports for development purposes can be bought, and to provide the trained human power and technical knowledge they lack. The motives of donors are not always humanitarian; "Aid" can take a military form; it can be used to support an incompetent or unjust government. Nor is aid always beneficial to the recipient country. It may be wasted on ill-conceived prestige projects, or cause the government simply to relax its own efforts.

In the passage, it is discussed that the reasons behind the aid given to underdeveloped countries _____.

One concludes from the passage that what is generally referred to as "aid" _____.

In accordance with the passage, unless they receive aid, underdeveloped countries _____.

Senegal is heavily dependent on the export of crude oil to finance industrial development. 90% of Senegal's exports by value are crude oil. At current production rates, known reserves are only sufficient until the end of the century. Industrialization was boosted after 1973 - following the fourfold increase in oil prices. In the early 1980s prices fell, and Senegal lost important income. Oil production peaked when it reached 112 million tonnes in 1974.

It is said in the passage that the sharp rise in oil prices in 1973 _____.

It is concluded from the passage that only a fraction of Senegal's exports _____.

In accordance with the passage, as long as the current rate of oil production is maintained, _____.