ISEE Section 3 Reading Comprehension

new passage 7. The passage focuses mainly on

(A) a comparison of fruits, vegetables, and nuts. (B) whether tomatoes should be eaten as a dessert or as a main course. (C) describing various kinds of fruits that people assume are vegetables. (D) discussing the different definitions of common terms.

4. It can be inferred from the passage that a person who doesn't need a guide in the wilderness

(A) must be courageous and patient. (B) must be from the city. (C) probably has a good sense of direction. (D) has a good chance of getting lost.

23. The author implies that the birth of the women's suffrage movement

(A) occurred at the first Women's Right Convention. (B) only took place due to Elizabeth Cady Stanton's efforts. (C) did not begin until the 1900s. (D) had been ongoing even before 1848.

3. As used in line 24, the word "facility" most nearly means

(A) disposition (B) practice (C) artifice (D) aptitude

new passage 19. What is the primary focus of the passage?

(A) America in the mid nineteenth century (B) the growth of the women's suffrage movement (C) the ratification of the 19th amendment (D) Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B Anthony's work as suffragettes

9. All of the following can be answered by the passage EXCEPT:

(A) Is an avocado a botanical fruit or vegetable? (B) Do people often correct each other about whether or not certain "vegetables" are really fruits? (C) According to the U.S. Supreme Court, is a tomato legally a fruit or a vegetable? (D) How did the scientific community react to the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling regarding the definition of fruits and vegetables?

27. Information from the passage supports which of the following statements?

(A) It is now possible to accurately predict how long an individual will live. (B) The global average lifespan will probably double again in coming years. (C) Only a very small percentage of people from the Stone Age are still alive. (D) Modern life expectancy is shorter in countries that are not very wealthy.

30. With which of the following statements would the author most likely agree?

(A) It would have been much more exciting to live in the Stone Age than today. (B) We're all much better off in the modern world, where children can safely grow up. (C) Adults today are not really any better off than they were in the Stone Age. (D) The world would be a better place if fewer people lived into their hundreds.

34. Why did Mr. Morgan give Mr. Carnegie an extra check for ten thousand dollars?

(A) Mr. Carnegie had clearly forgotten what his property was worth, and Mr. Morgan didn't want to take advantage of his mistake. (B) Mr. Morgan though that Mr. Carnegie could get a much better price if he bargained, so he overpaid to avoid haggling. (C) Mr. Pierpont Morgan had accidentally given bad information to his father about how much Mr. Carnegie was asking for, but by the time the mistake was discovered it was too late to correct it. (D) Mr. Morgan knew that if he overpaid on their first deal, it would impress Mr. Carnegie and he would be sure to get better deals in the future.

35. What does the passage suggest about Mr. Carnegie's legal rights?

(A) Mr. Carnegie was entitled not only to the amount originally agreed upon, but also to the extra ten thousand dollars. (B) Mr. Carnegie's legal rights weren't Mr. Morgan's only consideration when he decided to pay an extra ten thousand dollars. (C) He could legally have sued Mr. Morgan for much more than just the ten thousand dollars, but that would have been viewed as dishonorable. (D) His legal rights were more important to him than his honor, and so he gave up the profits to which he wasn't entitled.

33. Which best explains why Mr. Carnegie said to Mr. Pierpont Morgan "In these days I will sell anything for money" (lines 8-9)?

(A) Mr. Morgan had always dealt honorably with Mr. Carnegie in the past, so he knew that he would get a good deal. (B) Mr. Carnegie was eager to make whatever money he could during the financial panic. (C) Mr. Carnegie was very new to business at that time, and eager to make any deal that he could. (D) Mr. Pierpont Morgan was Mr. Carnegie's main source of revenue, so he wanted to keep him happy.

15. The passage suggests that

(A) Oparin and Haldane's theory is the only explanation left for how life could have begun. (B) although it was interesting, the Miller-Urey experiment was ultimately a failure. (C) there's no evidence one way or another for how life really began. (D) we may need to learn more before we can finally determine how life began.

21. Which best expresses the author's view of the 19th amendment?

(A) The 19th Amendment was little more than a symbolic victory for Women's Rights, but would ultimately prove to be worth the struggle. (B) The 19th Amendment was probably a major cause of the Civil War, but still a necessary step in forming a strong democracy. (C) The 19th amendment was a long-awaited recognition of basic rights, which was only possible after a long struggle. (D) The 19th Amendment unfairly restricted the right to vote, and abolishing it was an important step towards a more equal democracy.

20. According to the passage, what was the role of the Civil War in the struggle for women's suffrage?

(A) The Civil War dealt a blow to the Women's Rights movement from which it never fully recovered. (B) Victory for abolitionists in the Civil War inspired the Women's Rights movement. (C) The role that women played in the Civil War prompted the government to recognize their rights as citizens. (D) The eruption of the Civil War temporarily interrupted the Women's Rights movement.

22. What does the author mean by a "parallel fight was raging through the American landscape" (lines 9-10)?

(A) The suffragettes were traveling all over America to advocate for women's rights. (B) Fights were common throughout the Americas at this time, and the suffragettes were only fighting about as much as everyone else. (C) The Civil War mirrored the fight for women's suffrage. (D) The struggles of the suffragettes and of African-American men were similar in their goals of equality and full citizenship.

12. According to the passage, when the Supreme Court needed to determine whether a tomato was a fruit or a vegetable, the Court

(A) came up with its own method for distinguishing between fruits and vegetables. (B) used the botanical definition to determine how to classify a tomato. (C) took a poll and relied on public opinion to make its decision. (D) used the opposite of the botanical definition.

16. According to the passage, philosophers, authors, and scientists have all

(A) conducted experiments to test theories of how life may have started. (B) pondered the beginnings of life in their own ways. (C) generally agreed on the best theories to explain life's origins. (D) successfully answered the question of life's origins in different ways.

29. Based on information in the passage, we can conclude that a Stone Age man in his thirties would most likely

(A) continue to live for many more years. (B) die before reaching adulthood. (C) live twice as long as a person born in modern times. (D) live only for one or two more years.

new passage 25. This passage is primarily concerned with

(A) criticizing people who want to live into their hundreds. (B) persuading people that the way humans lived in the Stone Age was healthier than the way they live now. (C) describing two different methods of averaging numbers. (D) explaining why median life expectancy is so much higher today than in the past.

36. We can conclude from the information in the article that, in their later business dealings, the narrator probably

(A) dealt with the Morgans on good terms, and kept their interests in mind. (B) continued to undercharge the Morgans as a gesture of friendship. (C) tried to be more careful when calculating what he was owed, to avoid losing another large sum of money. (D) took advantage of the Morgans' generosity by charging them more than things were worth.

new passage 31. The main purpose of the passage is to

(A) describe the business of investing to the uninitiated. (B) relate a story about the integrity of a business partner. (C) tell a story about a bad investment decision. (D) show how the narrator became a successful businessman.

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) describe traveling in the wild (B) compare those who travel with guides to those who travel without (C) discuss the importance of a sense of direction for travelers (D) provide a history of wildlife exploration

new passage 13. This passage is primarily concerned with

(A) discussing famous scientists and their careers in science. (B) describing how to design and execute a scientific experiment. (C) speculating about what sort of living things existed on the early earth. (D) telling the story of a famous scientific experiment.

8. The word "august" (line 24) most nearly means

(A) distinguished (B) rebellious (C) hidden (D) agreeable

17. In line 24, "precursors" most nearly means

(A) forerunners (B) compounds (C) descendants (D) organisms

5. According to the passage, having a sense of direction is

(A) impossible without a good understanding of music. (B) entirely innate, and does not improve with practice. (C) similar to having a natural talent for music. (D) not as important as many other traits.

10. According to the passage, the scientific definition of a botanical fruit

(A) is basically the same as the definition of a vegetable. (B) is well respected by the U.S. Supreme Court. (C) does not have much of an impact on how people use the word "fruit." (D) applies only to a small number of fruits, such as the pumpkin.

6. Which of the following best describes the tone of the article?

(A) mournful (B) disinterested (C) assertive (D) ecstatic

11. When the author says that it is a "grave error" to call a tomato a vegetable (line 5), his tone could best be described as

(A) respectful (B) aloof (C) sarcastic (D) puzzled

24. The author's attitude towards the suffragettes could best be described as one of

(A) scorn (B) liberation (C) admiration (D) intrigue

2. Lines 3-10 ("I....wilds") imply that the author believes all the following EXCEPT

(A) talented foresters have many good qualities. (B) the most successful foresters have a honed sense of direction. (C) patience is a helpful quality for a forester to have. (D) all people are helpless in the wild.

26. According to the passage, the median life expectancy is

(A) the age that half of all people will live to, or will live beyond. (B) the maximum age to which a person can expect to live. (C) about how long a child can expect to survive. (D) the age at which people are most likely to die.

18. All of the following are true about Miller and Urey EXCEPT

(A) their experiment was based on the ideas of Oparin and Haldane. (B) they attempted to simulate the conditions of early earth. (C) they used sparks to simulate lightning. (D) they used some organic compounds to start the experiment.

14. By the statement "Few questions have puzzled so many" (lines 4-5), the author probably means that

(A) this question is unanswerable. (B) many people have tried to find a solution to this question. (C) experiments are needed to answer this question. (D) the question seems much more complex than it really is.

28. Based on information in the passage, we can conclude that people who reach adulthood today

(A) will probably live somewhat longer than people who reached adulthood in the Stone Age. (B) shouldn't expect to live quite as long as people did in the past. (C) will not live as long on average as their parents. (D) will live twice as long as people who reached adulthood in the Stone Age.

32. The passage suggests that a person who is not involved in business

(A) would have a very hard time making money on the stock market. (B) should always be sure to check the value of his assets before making a deal. (C) might be surprised to learn about the honorableness of some businessmen. (D) could easily be taken advantage of by a dishonest businessman.