vTest Results

Your final score was 98/109 (90%).

Congratulations, you have passed.

Vocabulary for Comprehension

Read the following passage, in which some of the words you have studied in Units 1-3 are
highlighted in yellow. Then answer questions 1-12 on the basis of what is stated or  implied in the
passage and in the introductory statement.

From its humble beginnings, the annual winter festival in Sapporo, Japan, has become a world-
class event, as this passage shows.

Picture a vast castle, or imagine an oversized cartoon figure. Now try to imagine each of them
made of snow and ice. This is what you might see if you attend the Sapporo Snow Festival, a
weeklong event held each year in northern Japan, on the island of Hokkaido.

Unlike other cities in Japan, Sapporo is fairly young. It has no ancient temples. Its streets are
unusually wide and straight. The city is a popular destination for those who enjoy winter sports. In
fact, the 1972 Winter Olympic Games were held in Sapporo.

The Sapporo Snow Festival draws both young and old into its wintry wonderland fantasies. Most
people familiar with winter festivals designate the Sapporo Snow Festival as the most famous of
its kind. The city plans ahead for months. It is impossible for visitors to get hotel rooms
without expressly reserving them far in advance.

The Sapporo Snow Festival had modest beginnings. In 1950, high school students made six snow
sculptures in a serene park in the center of town. What began as fun for creative teenagers has
grown into an event that has global appeal. Odori Park, the location of those first snow
sculptures, continues to be one of the three main festival sites.

Since the early days, much of the work to mount the festival has been done by the Self-Defense
Forces. This branch of the Japanese military dispatches hundreds of soldiers in army trucks to
haul snow from nearby mountains into the city. This peacetime work serves the public and keeps
festival costs down.

Visitors to the Snow Festival today might see gigantic sculptures that depict prehistoric animals,
Viking warriors, famous people, and even cartoon characters! Bands play music from atop huge
sound stages built of snow. Daredevils can zoom down elaborate ice slides. Nightly fireworks,
colored lights, and other special sound and lighting effects add extra excitement.

Make your reservations now!

1.
The primary purpose of the passage is to
a. describe traditional Japanese customs
b. praise the Japanese Self-Defense Forces
c. entertain the reader with amusing anecdotes
You chose: d. inform the reader about the Sapporo Snow Festival (correct)
e. persuade other cities to hold winter snow festivals

The correct answer was response d.

2.
The meaning of designate (paragraph 3) is
a. avoid
You chose: b. name (correct)
c. deny
d. attend
e. photograph

The correct answer was response b.

3.
Expressly (paragraph 3) most nearly means
a. quickly
b. efficiently
You chose: c. explicitly (correct)
d. tentatively
e. accidentally

The correct answer was response c.

4.
Paragraph 3 focuses on the festival's
a. history
b. main events
You chose: c. attendance (correct)
d. artists
e. rules

The correct answer was response c.

5.
Serene (paragraph 4) is best defined as
a. enormous
b. municipal
c. popular
You chose: d. tranquil (correct)
e. pretty

The correct answer was response d.

6.
The meaning of global (paragraph 4) is
a. festive
b. limited
c. regional
d. mysterious
You chose: e. widespread (correct)

The correct answer was response e.

 7.
How did the Sapporo Snow Festival get started in the 1950s?
a. A great blizzard dumped three feet of snow on Sapporo.
You chose: b. High school students built six snow sculptures in a park. (correct)
c. The city held a competition for best snow sculptures.
d. The Winter Olympic Games were held in Sapporo.
e. A winter wedding was held outdoors in Odori Park.

The correct answer was response b.

8.
Dispatches (paragraph 5) most nearly means
You chose: a. sends out (correct)
b. trains
c. rewards
d. joins with
e. recruits

The correct answer was response a.

9.
Depict (paragraph 6) is best defined as
a. replace
b. analyze
c. surround
You chose: d. represent (correct)
e. restore

The correct answer was response d.

10.
Which of the following best describes the author's tone, or attitude, toward the subject?
a. formal
b. skeptical
c. critical
d. solemn
You chose: e. enthusiastic (correct)

The correct answer was response e.

11.
You can infer from the passage that the author is trying to
a. suggest improvements in the festival
b. caution visitors about the dangers and the crowds
You chose: c. promote attendance at the festival (correct)
d. encourage other Japanese cities to hold festivals
e. analyze athletic events in Japanese cities

The correct answer was response c.

12.
In paragraph 6, the author makes the festival come alive by using many
You chose: a. sensory details (correct)
b. generalizations
c. statistics
d. exaggerations
e. exclamation points

The correct answer was response a.

Grammar in Context

There is nothing wrong with the following sentence.

"This is what you might see if you attend the Sapporo Snow Festival, a weeklong event held every
year in northern Japan, on the island of Hokkaido."

But suppose that the author had written it this way:

"This is what you might see it you attend the Sapporo Snow Festival. A weeklong event held each
year in northern Japan, on the island of Hokkaido."

It would not work because the second group of words is missing a subject and is therefore not a
sentence. If a group of words lacks a subject, a verb, or both, it is called a sentence fragment.

A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought. It has two main parts: a
complete subject (a noun or pronoun plus any modifiers) and a complete predicate (a verb or verb
phrase plus any modifiers). When you write, be sure to write complete sentences.

A run-on sentence is really two or more sentences masquerading as a single sentence because of
incorrect punctuation. To avoid run-ons, there are four things you can do:

(1) Use capitalization and punctuation to separate the sentence into two short sentences.

(2) Use a conjunction preceded by a comma.

(3) Insert a semicolon or a semicolon with a transitional word or phrase followed by a comma.

(4) Use a subordinating conjunction to make one of the two sentences a subordinate clause.

On the lines provided, rewrite each of the groups of words to eliminate the run-ons and
fragments. Write "correct" if the sentence is correct.

13.
Visitors to the Sapporo Snow Festival each year.

Your response of Visitors go to the Sapporo Snow Festival each year was incorrect. The correct answer
was There are many visitors to the Sapporo Snow Festival each year..

14.
Visitors to the festival agree, they all would go again.

Your response of Visitors, who go to the festival, agree that they all would go again was incorrect. The
correct answer was Visitors to the festival agree that they all would go again..
 15.
If you wish to create snow sculptures, you had better have lots of snow.

Your response was correct: correct

16.
Traveling to Japan is quite an undertaking, for one thing, it is a very long flight.

Your response of Traveling to Japan is quite an undertaking; for one thing, it is a very long flight was
incorrect. The correct answer was Traveling to Japan is quite an undertaking; for one thing, it is a very
long flight..

17.
Have you ever seen sand sculptures, many people are fond of building them.

Your response of correct was incorrect. The correct answer was Have you ever seen sand sculptures?
Many people are fond of building them..

18.
Where I live, there is plenty of snow and ice, however there aren't many sculptors.

Your response of Where I live, there is plenty of snow and ice. However, there aren't many sculptors was
incorrect. The correct answer was Where I live, there is plenty of snow and ice; however, there aren't
many sculptors.?.

Two-Word Completions

Choose the pair of words that best complete the meaning of each of the following sentences.

19.
As the travelers crossed the hot and _____ wasteland known as the Sahara Desert, their eyes were
deceived more than once by mirages and other optical _____.
a. adverse ... mimics
b. groundless ... enigmas
c. immense ... vocations
You chose: d. arid ... illusions (correct)

The correct answer was response d.

20.
It took a great deal of _____ to keep up with the rest of the pack as they sped across the broken and hilly
_____ that separated them from the finish line in the cross-country race.
a. dispatch ... apparel
You chose: b. stamina ... terrain (correct)
c. misgiving ... repast
d. diversity ... barrage

The correct answer was response b.

21.
Two ruffians _____ the weary traveler on a lonely stretch of road, but the man was able to beat off his
_____ with the help of his stout staff.
You chose: a. waylaid ... assailants (correct)
b. confronted ... hypocrites
c. dispatched ... oafs
d. constrained ... pacifists

The correct answer was response a.

22.
The demand for tickets to the play-offs was so heavy that for days the box office was _____ like some
embattled fortress by mobs of people waiting more or less Impatiently in long _____ that snaked
endlessly around the whole block.
a. denounced ... enigmas
b. confronted ... ruffles
You chose: c. besieged ... queues (correct)
d. encompassed ... billows

The correct answer was response c.

23.
Though other people have been moved to action by high ideals, Thomas Alva Edison, one of the most
_____ inventors ever to be produced by this country, seems in part to have been _____ simply by the
love of a challenge.
a. disinterested ... manipulated
b. inept ... infuriated
You chose: c. ingenious ... motivated (correct)
d. immense ... dispatched

The correct answer was response c.

24.
Despite the _____ of vigorous insults coming from the other gubernatorial candidate, she refused to
retaliate and _____ her competition.
a. illusion ... libel
b. apparel ... besiege
You chose: c. billow ... infuriate (incorrect)
d. barrage ... denounce (missed)

The correct answer was response d.

Choosing the Right Meaning

Read each sentence carefully. Then choose the item that best completes the statement below the
sentence.

25.
In keeping with his strong pacifist beliefs, the poet Robert Lowell served a prison term for refusing to
bear arms during World War II.

The word pacifist most nearly means

a. militant
b. criminal
c. old-fashioned
You chose: d. antiwar (correct)
 The correct answer was response d.
26.
When compresses failed to slow the bleeding, medics applied a tourniquet above the soldier's wound.

The word compresses is used to mean

a. bandage pads (missed)
b. medicines
c. condensations
You chose: d. reductions (incorrect)

The correct answer was response a.

27.
In computer terminology a global command is one that applies to an entire file, document, or program.

The word global is best defined as

You chose: a. worldwide (incorrect)

b. widespread
c. random
d. comprehensive (missed)

The correct answer was response d.

28.
Before they are confirmed by the Senate, those whom the president selects for cabinet posts are termed
"secretaries designate."

The word designate is used to mean

a. veteran
b. resigned
You chose: c. nominated (correct)
d. experienced

The correct answer was response c.

29.
The well-dressed gentleman of the late eighteenth century wore ruffles of sheer linen or lace at his throat
and wrists. (2)

The word ruffles most nearly means

a. wrinkles
You chose: b. ripples (incorrect)
c. gathered trimmings (missed)
d. irritations

The correct answer was response c.

Antonyms
 In each of the following groups, choose the word or expression that is most nearly the opposite of
the word in boldface type.

30.
immense
a. illegal
b. vast
c. useless
You chose: d. small (correct)

The correct answer was response d.

31.
adverse
a. fatal
b. harmful
You chose: c. positive (correct)
d. puzzling

The correct answer was response c.

32.
maximum
You chose: a. lowest (correct)
b. highest
c. biggest
d. average

The correct answer was response a.

33.
sheepish
a. unfriendly
You chose: b. bold (correct)
c. timid
d. silly

The correct answer was response b.

34.
sage
You chose: a. foolish (correct)
b. wise
c. strange
d. unexpected

The correct answer was response a.

35.
expressly
a. purposely
You chose: b. accidentally (correct)
c. quickly
d. cleverly

The correct answer was response b.

36.
infuriate
a. anger
b. cheat
You chose: c. please (correct)
d. ignore

The correct answer was response c.

37.
wither
You chose: a. flourish (correct)
b. ensnare
c. discourage
d. pressure

The correct answer was response a.

38.
famished
a. frozen
b. confident
You chose: c. satiated (correct)
d. hungry

The correct answer was response c.

39.
disinterested
a. wise
You chose: b. prejudiced (correct)
c. bored
d. foreign

The correct answer was response b.

40.
global
You chose: a. local (correct)
b. worldwide
c. vast
d. unmeasured

The correct answer was response a.

41.
vocation
a. job
b. house
c. family
You chose: d. hobby (correct)

The correct answer was response d.

42.
contemporary
a. intelligent
b. puzzling
You chose: c. ancient (correct)
d. famous

The correct answer was response c.

43.
irk
a. smear
You chose: b. delight (correct)
c. punish
d. hurt

The correct answer was response b.

44.
forsake
a. stall
You chose: b. stand by (correct)
c. hire
d. leave

The correct answer was response b.

45.
incomprehensible
a. puzzling
You chose: b. understandable (correct)
c. interesting
d. boring

The correct answer was response b.

Word Families

A. On the line provided, enter the word you have learned in Units 1-3 that is related to each of the
following nouns.

EXAMPLE: compression-atone

46.
manipulator, manipulation

Your response was correct: manipulate

47.
restriction
Your response was correct: restrict

48.
motivation, motivator

Your response was correct: motivate

49.
confrontation, confrontationist

Your response was correct: confront

50.
designation, designator

Your response was correct: designate

51.
denouncement, denunciation

Your response was correct: denounce

52.
adversity, adverseness

Your response was correct: adverse

53.
recession

Your response was correct: recede

54.
ingeniousness

Your response was correct: ingenious

55.
depicter, depiction

Your response was correct: depict

56.
immenseness, immensity

Your response was correct: immense

57.
ineptitude

Your response was correct: inept

58.
encompassment

Your response was correct: encompass

59.
aridity, aridness

Your response was correct: arid

60.
fury

Your response was correct: infuriate

61.
instant

Your response was correct: instantaneous

B. On the line provided, enter the word you have learned in Units 1-3 that is related to each of the
following verbs.

EXAMPLE: pacify-pacifist

62.
maximize

Your response was correct: maximum

63.
divert

Your response was correct: diversity

64.
assail

Your response was correct: assailant

65.
comprehend

Your response was correct: incomprehensible

Word Associations

In each of the following groups, choose the word that is best defined or suggested by the given
phrase.

66.
living at the same time
a. gainful
b. maximum
c. global
You chose: d. contemporary (correct)

The correct answer was response d.

67.
to hold someone back
You chose: a. constrain (correct)
b. vow
c. wither
d. slake

The correct answer was response a.

68.
totally lacking skill or appropriateness
a. instantaneous
You chose: b. inept (correct)
c. immense
d. arid

The correct answer was response b.

69.
something that is deeply puzzling
a. dispatch
b. illusion
c. bigot
You chose: d. enigma (correct)

The correct answer was response d.

70.
to enrage
a. billow
You chose: b. infuriate (correct)
c. recede
d. ruffle

The correct answer was response b.

71.
to provide a reason or purpose for doing something
You chose: a. motivate (correct)
b. restrict
c. forsake
d. designate

The correct answer was response a.

72.
a feeling of doubt or uneasiness
a. libel
b. diversity
You chose: c. misgiving (correct)
d. stamina

The correct answer was response c.

73.
having no substance or foundation
a. ingenious
b. disinterested
You chose: c. groundless (correct)
d. sheepish

The correct answer was response c.

74.
a heavy outpouring (as of questions)
You chose: a. barrage (correct)
b. queue
c. compress
d. terrain

The correct answer was response a.

75.
one who pretends to be better than he or she really is
You chose: a. hypocrite (correct)
b. assailant
c. contemporary
d. pacifist

The correct answer was response a.

76.
to quench
You chose: a. slake (correct)
b. constrain
c. gloat
d. dispatch

The correct answer was response a.

77.
an idea not based on reality
a. billow
b. hypocrite
You chose: c. illusion (correct)
d. sage

The correct answer was response c.

78.
calm and composed
a. sheepish
b. gainful
c. instantaneous
You chose: d. serene (correct)

The correct answer was response d.

79.
a person's lifework or career
a. terrain
b. libel
c. stamina
You chose: d. vocation (correct)

The correct answer was response d.

80.
a solemn promise
You chose: a. vow (correct)
b. repast
c. apparel
d. misgiving

The correct answer was response a.

81.
to include or enclose within certain boundaries
a. depict
You chose: b. encompass (correct)
c. manipulate
d. denounce

The correct answer was response b.

82.
a person whose prejudices are always showing
a. pacifist
b. oaf
You chose: c. bigot (correct)
d. mimic

The correct answer was response c.

83.
the swelling waters
a. dispatching
b. dousing
You chose: c. billowing (correct)
d. receding

The correct answer was response c.

84.
to brag about their victory
a. encompass
You chose: b. gloat (correct)
c. confront
d. motivate

The correct answer was response b.

85.
writing that can harm someone's reputation
a. dispatch
You chose: b. libel (correct)
c. ruffle
d. diversity

The correct answer was response b.

Building with Classical Roots

de-down; away from; completely; not

Many words in English are made up of a root and/or a prefix and suffix. In order to determine the
meanings of many words, you have to know the meaning of the root, prefix, and/or suffix. The
prefix de, for example, appears in denounce, depict, and designate. Some other words in which
this prefix appears are listed below.

debunk, decapitate, default, defraud, demerit, depression, desperate, devolve

From the list of words above, choose the one that corresponds to each of the brief definitions
below. Enter the word in the blank space in the illustrative sentence below the definition.

86.
a mark against, usually involving the loss of some privilege or right; a fault, defect

Unacceptable behavior earned him so many __________ that he was not allowed to go on the class trip.

Your response of demerit was incorrect. The correct answer was demerits.

87.
to fail to perform a task or fulfill an obligation; the failure to do something required by law or duty

Because the challenger failed to show up, the defender won the match by __________.

Your response was correct: default

88.
to cut off the head, behead

Experienced chefs know how to gut, scale, and __________ a fish before cooking it.

Your response was correct: decapitate

89.
driven to take any risk; hopeless; extreme
Lack of water led homesteaders to take __________ measures to save their families.

Your response was correct: desperate

90.
an area that is sunk below its surroundings; a period of severe economic decline; a mood of dejection or
sadness.

Slapstick comedy films were popular during the Great __________ of the 1930s.

Your response was correct: depression

91.
to pass on (a duty, task, or the like) to someone else; to be passed on to; to be conferred on

Little will change when the mayor's powers __________ upon her successor.

Your response was correct: devolve

92.
to cheat, take away from, or deprive of by deceit or trickery

The corrupt attorney tried to __________ her of her rightful inheritance.

Your response was correct: defraud

93.
to expose the falseness of unsound or exaggerated claims

New evidence has emerged that allows US to __________ a time-honored legend.

Your response was correct: debunk

From the list of words above, choose the one that best completes each of the following
sentences. Enter the word in the space provided.
94.
The rescue team made one last, _____ attempt to save the people still trapped in the sinking ship.

Your response was correct: desperate

95.
On the whole, I'd say that the new program's good points far outweigh its _____.

Your response of demerit was incorrect. The correct answer was demerits.

96.
When my boss became ill, many of the duties and responsibilities of his job suddenly _____ upon me.

Your response was correct: devolved

97.
 When the debtor failed to repay the loan in a timely manner, the bank was forced to declare him in _____.

Your response was correct: default

98.
Scores of those condemned to death by the French revolutionary tribunals were _____ by the guillotine.

Your response was correct: decapitated

99.
Over the years, historians have _____ many of the famous stories associated with George Washington
because they have no basis in fact.

Your response was correct: debunked

100.
After we had lost the championship game by one point, we returned to the locker room in a state of
profound _____.

Your response was correct: depression

101.
Posing as investment counselors, the wily swindlers managed to _____ the elderly couple of most of their
savings.

Your response was correct: defraud

Choose the word that more satisfactorily completes each of the following sentences.
102.
Most working parents who would share their personal stories could easily _____ the myth that it's easy to
have it all.
You chose: a. debunk (correct)
b. devolve

The correct answer was response a.

103.
After spending hours customizing my computer display to fit my exacting standards, I accidentally
engaged the _____ settings and would back up where I started.
a. desperate
You chose: b. default (correct)

The correct answer was response b.

104.
Although the brilliant student was full of potential, the major _____ for failing to complete her senior
project blocked her graduation.
a. depression
You chose: b. demerit (correct)

The correct answer was response b.

 105.
After all conventional approaches to curing her illness failed, she felt _____ and decided to take part in
experimental clinical trials of new medications.
You chose: a. desperate (correct)
b. defrauded

The correct answer was response a.

106.
In 1536, King Henry VIII ordered his wife Anne Boleyn to be _____ as the ultimate punishment for
treason.
You chose: a. decapitated (correct)
b. defaulted

The correct answer was response a.

107.
The corrupt official attempted to _____ the city when she claimed certain personal expenses were
business expenses.
You chose: a. defraud (correct)
b. debunk

The correct answer was response a.

108.
Meteor Crater is a deep _____ in northern Arizona formed about 50,000 years ago when a meteorite
crashed into the earth's surface.
a. demerit
You chose: b. depression (correct)

The correct answer was response b.

109.
During flu season, the job of music teacher _____ to the janitor, who was able to reveal his rich talent for
sightseeing.
You chose: a. devolved (correct)
b. decapitated

The correct answer was response a.