501 Critical Reading Questions

Critical Reading Questions
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rather he or she is neutrally explaining information gathered in
the U.S. Census.
467.
e. The passage clearly states that in the 1990s fewer people saw their
income grow than in the 1980s. Choices a and b are incorrect
because they do not include a comparison to the 1980s. Choices
c and d are incorrect because the passage does not discuss
amount of income, only change in income.
468.
e. The passage defines top of the economic ladder as families with
high income-to-poverty ratios. From this, one can conclude
that the economic ladder is the range of incomes from poverty
to wealth.
469.
a. The tone is dry, in that the language is spare. The author does
not use many adjectives, or any metaphors or other rhetorical
flourishes. The author is neutral. Nowhere in the passage does
he or she assert a point of view. Although the author uses statis-
tics, the tone is not most accurately described as statistical.
470.
d. Manifest means obvious or evident. Certain practices could have
several meanings and it is necessary to look to the examples
provided in the next sentence to clarify the meaning of the
phrase. The examples of beliefs mostly relate to particular activ-
ities such as predicting the weather or curing sickness.
471.
c. Lines 7–9 clearly state that it is not surprising that fishermen
hold many beliefs about fortune and misfortune because fisher-
men work in a highly unpredictable and hazardous environment.
472.
a. In lines 21–25, the author states that these beliefs are linked to
the detection of minute changes in the environment and reflect fisher-
men’s intimate contact with the natural environment. This sentence
indicates an attitude of respect. This respect is unqualified in
that the author does not detract from the statement in any way.
473.
b. The author defines traditional beliefs as convictions that are usually
linked to causes and effects. In the paragraph that discusses supernat-
ural (lines 35–43), the author states that some fishermen believe in
the existence of the certain supernatural phenomena. There is no
information about the cause or effect of the supernatural.
474.
d. The statistic provides numerical evidence (quantifies) of the
degree to which commercial fishing is hazardous compared to
the next most dangerous occupation.
475.
e. Precarious means dependent on uncertain circumstances or
chance; it can also mean characterized by a lack of security.
Uncertain and dangerous (choice a) are both synonyms of pre-
carious, however, in the context of the sentence, uncertain makes
the most sense.
501