Short Advanced Reading Comprehension Test 40 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.)

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 continue. About 30 countries - most of them African - can expect serious problems unless they reduce population growth and give higher priority to agriculture and conservation.

Though a 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 cases, the population projections are greater than the entire local land resources can support.

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

It is argued in the passage that _____.

According to 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. We have learned that one cannot consider the mind as totally isolated from the body, and it now includes the study of human personality and behaviour. Psychologists also study 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. They do not necessarily take much interest in abnormalities of the brain and mental processes.

As can be inferred from the passage, psychology _____.

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

It is pointed out in the passage that _____.

Aid to underdeveloped countries takes many forms and is given for many reasons. Underdeveloped countries need aid to finance development projects, provide the foreign exchange with which imports for development purposes can be bought, and to provide the trained manpower and technical knowledge they lack.

The motives of the donor are not always humanitarian. Aid can take a military form; it can be used to support an incompetent or unjust government. However, aid is not always beneficial to the recipient country. It may be wasted on ill-conceived or prestigious projects, or cause the government to simply relax its own efforts.

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

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

According to the passage, unless they receive aid, underdeveloped countries _____.

In one very long sentence, the introduction to the UN Charter expresses the ideals and the common goals of all the peoples whose governments joined together to form the UN. We, the peoples of the UN, are determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold suffering to mankind. We aim to reaffirm faith in fundamental rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women, and of nations large and small.

We strive to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained. We aim to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom. For these ends, we practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours. We unite our strength to maintain international peace and security.

We ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest. We employ international machinery for the promotion of economic and social advancement of all peoples. We have resolved to combine our efforts to accomplish these aims.

The first stated goal of the UN was _____.

Under its Charter, the UN guarantees _____.

The word "succeeding" in the passage can best be replaced by _____.

A society like that of medieval England would nowadays be classified and described as ‘pre-industrial’. Its income came mostly from agriculture, and by far, the largest proportion of its people was engaged in growing food. The numbers occupied in trade and industry formed a comparatively small proportion of the total. Even those so occupied often combined their industrial and commercial occupations with some agricultural pursuits.

This does not, however, mean that industrial and commercial activities were altogether insignificant and played little part in shaping the economic geography of the country or in directing the way of its economic development.

In medieval England, _____.

In the passage, the author emphasizes the _____.

One can say that economic life in medieval England _____.

When we go to the theatre, we expect to find some excitement on the stage. We also hope not to be bored by a lack of a good plot or movement. We want our play to be somewhat close to real life, with characters whom we can recognize as having a ‘psychology’ like our own. We want them to entertain us and convey ideas and information that we did not have before.

Good plot and movement _____.

To the author, _____.

In the passage, the writer thinks that a play _____.

Research shows that more than three cups of coffee a day can cause unpleasant symptoms such as nervousness, irritability, and insomnia. Thus, although many people build up a certain tolerance for the stimulant, experiments indicate that caffeine users take longer to fall asleep than non-users and they also wake up more often. The effects of caffeine are similar in persons of all ages, but certain groups are particularly sensitive to the drug, including elderly individuals, children, pregnant women, and those suffering from heart disease, hypertension, and emotional illness.

One can understand from the passage that _____.

It is explained in the passage that _____.

The author stresses _____.

The criminal justice system has three differently organized parts: the police, the courts, and corrections. Each has separate tasks. However, these parts are by no means independent of each other. The courts must deal with those whom the police arrest; the business of corrections is to reform those delivered to it by the courts. However, it is not certain whether convicts can actually be reformed in this way.

The writer _____.

The passage is mainly about _____.

It is understood that the parts of the criminal justice system _____.