501 Critical Reading Questions

a. go.
b. fix things.
c. sit in pairs.
d. get dressed.
e. exercise.
457.
The narrator of Passage 1 most probably
a. is a seasoned sea captain.
b. is very wealthy.
c. is an experienced yachtsman.
d. suffers from seasickness.
e. was in the Royal Navy.
2 3 4
501
Critical Reading Questions

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2 3 5
458.
In Passage 2, line 36, the narrator describes Nigel’s smile as a
graveyard of yellow sincerity. What figure of speech is the narrator
employing?
a. onomatopoeia
b. simile
c. personification
d. alliteration
e. metaphor
459.
Together, these two passages illustrate the idea that
a. the reality of two seemingly similar situations can often be
extremely different.
b. boating is a very dangerous pastime.
c. dreams sometimes fall very short of reality.
d. Plymouth is much nicer than New York.
e. hard work pays off in the end.
460.
The word berth, found in Passage 1, line 31 and Passage 2, line 39
most nearly means
a. a sailor’s hometown.
b. the sleeping quarters aboard a boat.
c. the kitchen aboard a boat.
d. the bathroom aboard a boat.
e. the lower deck of a boat.
Answers
400.
b. The author’s tone in this passage could only be described as
light-hearted. The subject of the passage itself is not of a particu-
larly serious nature, and the author’s deduction in lines 21–23
that watching a sport on television would technically character-
ize couch potatoes as athletes is humorous and subtly mocks
those who would argue over what is a “true” sport.
401.
e. Vigorous, as it is used in the passage, is an adjective that
describes an activity carried out forcefully or energetically. In
other words, a vigorous activity requires a physical exertion (line
11) that would cause one to break a sweat (line 12). This type of
activity is best described as strenuous, choice e.
402.