501 Critical Reading Questions

(Sean Pound) #1
because “raw” is not one of your choices. You can also infer that
shimemeans marinated, because mackerel is not one of your
choices. Therefore, shime ebimeans marinated shrimp.


  1. d. Nowhere in the passage does the author mention a preference
    for either type of sushi. The answer to choice amay be found in
    lines 36 and 37. Choice bis found in lines 10–13, choice cis
    answered by lines 46–51, and choice eis answered by
    lines 26–29.

  2. a. It is noted in lines 15 and 16 that sushi consumption in America
    is 40% higher than it was in the late 1990s (five years ago).
    While the other answers might be true, they are not described
    in the passage.

  3. b. Unpalatablemay be defined as not agreeable to taste; from the
    Latin palatum, which refers to the roof of the mouth. You know
    the word palateas the roof of the mouth, so unpalatable most
    likely has to do with the sense of taste. The biggest clue to the
    definition comes in line 24, which states that Americans have
    decided, this once-scorned food is truly delicious.

  4. d. It is mentioned in lines 25–26 that sushi was developed for the
    purpose of preserving fish. Line 29 clearly states that pickling,
    which takes place at the end of the sushi-making process, is a
    means of preserving.

  5. d. The noriis typically on the outside of the roll, surrounding the
    rice (lines 46 and 47). If the rice is wrapped around the seaweed,
    the inside (rice) is now on the outside. In addition, you could
    use the process of elimination, as none of the other choices
    make sense.

  6. c. The author does not have a bite to his argument, as required by
    satire, cynicism, and sarcasm. He is also not speaking to two
    audiences, one that gets itand one that doesn’t, as with irony.
    He is simply trying to be funny, as in lines 1–3, which says that
    once a boy becomes a man, he will compete for cash on
    an island.

  7. d. This is the only statement made by both authors (see Passage 1
    lines 37–38, and Passage 2 lines 33–34). Don’t be tricked by the
    choices that are true, such as a, b, and e. They need to be
    believed by both authors to be correct.

  8. a. Passage 2 repeats a number of times its first question: Why does
    Reality TV get such a bad rap? Lines 2 and 3 explain the argu-
    ment further, saying its popularity is blamed on degenerate
    morals and a decreasing attention span. The first lines of para-
    graph 2 (13–16) again question the argument against Reality

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