501 Critical Reading Questions

(Sean Pound) #1

  1. The author gives all the following reasons for continuing
    affirmative action in college admissions EXCEPT that it
    a. fosters diversity.
    b.provides fair access to higher education.
    c. is necessary to promote social mobility.
    d.exposes students to a broad spectrum of society.
    e.prepares students for the future.

  2. The argument for affirmative action in the workplace that most
    closely mirrors the author’s reasoning about affirmative action in
    college admissions is
    a. it is the law of the land.
    b.diversity in the workplace better prepares a company to
    compete in the marketplace.
    c. a diverse workforce is more efficient.
    d.a less-qualified minority candidate is still a great asset to a
    company.
    e.it is the right thing to do.


Answers



  1. d.To positmeans to suggest. In this context, Hlusko suggests that
    grass stalks may have caused the grooves on early hominid
    teeth.

  2. d.The passage states that modern toothpicks are made of wood
    (line 11).

  3. b.Dr. Hlusko is described a being convinced she was on the right
    trackand patientlyrubbing a baboon tooth with a grass stalk for
    eight hours. Both point to a persistent approach.

  4. b.In lines 19–20, the author states, It seems that our early human
    ancestors may have used grass, which was easily found and ready to
    use, to floss between their teeth. The use of mayindicates that the
    author is not absolutely certain, but as the author does not sug-
    gest anything to contradict Dr. Hlusko’s findings we can con-
    clude that the author finds her theory very probable.

  5. e.The passage clearly states that the median income of the population
    as a whole does not vary much in real terms from one year to the next.
    From this statement one can infer that, in general, income
    across the United States stays about the same.

  6. d.A thesis is an assertion, or theory, that the author intends to
    prove. The author of this passage is not making an assertion,

Free download pdf