READING COMPREHENSION
SKILL #7: MENJAWAB “TRANSITION QUESTION”
THE PASSAGE
Another myth of the oceans concern Davy Jones. Who in
folklore is a mean-spirited sovereign of the ocean’s depths. The
name “Jones” is thought by some etymologists to have been
Line derived from the name “Jonah”, the Hebrew prophet who
(5) spent three days in a whale’s belly
According to tradition, any object that goes overboard
and sinks to the bottom of the ocean is said to have gone to
Davy Jones’s locker, the ocean-sized, mythical receptacle for
anything that falls into the water. Needless to say, any sailor on
(10) the seas is not so eager to take a tour of Davy Jones’s locker,
although it might be a rather interesting trip considering all the
treasures located there
THE QUESTION
The paragraph preceding this paragraph most probably
discusses
(A) the youth of Davy Jones
(B) Davy Jones’s career as a sailor
(C) A different traditional story from the sea
(D) Preparing to travel on the ocean
TRANSITION QUESTION
Contoh The paragraph preceding the passage probably……
Pertanyaan What is the likely in the paragraph following the passage?
Tips Jawaban Jawaban dari pertanyaan preceding dapat ditemukan pada
kalimat pertama dalam bacaan
Jawaban dari pertanyaan following dapat ditemukan pada
kalimat terakhir
LATIHAN 7:
PASSAGE ONE (Question 1-2)
Another program instrumental in the popularization of science was
61
READING COMPREHENSION
Cosmos. The series, broadcast on public television, dealt with topics and
issues from varied fields of science. The principal writer and narrator of
the program was Carl Sagan, a note astronomer and Pulitzer Prize-winning
author
1. The paragraph preceding this 2. The paragraph following this
passage most probably discusses passage most likely contains
(A) a different scientific television information on what?
series (A) The popularity of science
(B) Carl Sagan’s scientific (B) The program Cosmos
achievements (C) The astronomer Carl Sagan
(C) the Pulitzer Prize won by Carl (D) Topics and issues from various
Sagan field of science
(D) public television
PASSAGE TWO (Question 3-4)
When a strong earthquake occurs on the ocean floor rather than on
land, a tremendous force is exerted on the seawater and one or more large,
destructive waves called tsunami can be formed. Tsunami are commonly
Line called tidal waves in the United States, but this is really an inappropriate
(5) name in that the cause of the tsunami is an underground earthquake rather
than the ocean’s tides
Far from land, a tsunami, can move through the wide open vastness
of the ocean at a speed of 600 miles (900 kilometers) per hour and often can
travel tremendous distances without losing height and strength. When a
(10) tsunami reaches shallow coastal water, it can reach a height of 100 feet
(30meters) or more and can cause tremendous flooding and damage to
coastal areas.
3. The paragraph preceding this passage 4. The paragraph following this
most probably discusses passage most likely contains
(A) Tsunami in various parts of the information on what?
world (A) The causes of tsunami
(B) The negative effect of tsunami (B) The destructive effects of
(C) Land-based earthquakes tsunami on the coast
(D) The effect of tides on tsunami (C) The differences between
tsunamis and tidal waves
(D) The distances covered by
tsunamis
62
READING COMPREHENSION
VOCABULARY QUESTIONS
SKILL #8: MENEMUKAN DEFINISI DARI “STRUCTURAL CLUES”
THE PASSAGE
One of the leading schools of psychological thought in
the twentieth century is behaviorism – the belief that the
role of the psychologist is to study behavior, which is
Line observable, rather than conscious of unconscious thought,
(5) which is not. Probably the best-known proponent of
behaviorism is B.F. Skinner, who is famous for his research
on how positive and negative reinforcement influence
behavior. He came to believe that positive reinforcement
such as praise, food, or money were more effective in
(10) promoting good behavior than negative reinforcement, or
punishment.
THE QUESTION
In “behaviorism” in line 2, a psychologist is concerned with
(A) conscious thought patterns
(B) unconscious thought patterns
(C) observable actions
(D) unobservable actions
STRUCTURAL CLUES
Contoh What is the meaning of “X” in line Y?
Pertanyaan The word “X” in line Y is closet meaning to …………
The word “X” in line Y could be replaced by ………
Tips Jawaban Jawaban dari pertanyaan jenis ini dapat ditemukan
setelah tanda baca, restatement, atau contoh
LATIHAN 8:
PASSAGE ONE (Question 1-3)
63
READING COMPREHENSION
The teddy bear is a child’s toy, a nice soft stuffed animal suitable
for cuddling. It is, however, a toy with an interesting history behind it
Theodore Roosevelt, or Teddy as he was commonly called, was
Line president of the United States from 1901 to 1909. He was an unusually
(5) active man with varied pastimes, one of which was hunting. One day the
president was invited to take part in a bear hunt; and inasmuch as Teddy
was president, his hosts wanted to ensure that he caught a bear. A bear
was captured, clanked over the head to knock it out, and tied to tree;
however, Teddy, who really wanted to hunt a bear, refused to shoot the
(10) bear and, in fact, demanded that the bear be extricated from the ropes;
that he, he demanded that the bear be set free
The incident attracted a lot of attention among journalist. First a
cartoon – drawn by Clifford K Berryman to make fun of this situation –
appeared in the Washington Post, and the cartoon was widely distributed
(15) and reprinted throughout the century. Then toy manufactures began
producing a toy bear which they called a “teddy bear”. The teddy bear
became the most widely recognized symbol of Roosevelt’s presidency
1. According to line 1 of the passage, 2. The word “pastimes” in line 5 could
what is a “Teddy Bear”? best be replaced by
(A) A ferocious animal (A) Past occurrences
(B) The president of the United (B) Previous jobs
States (C) Hunting trips
(C) A famous hunter (D) Leisure activities
(D) A plaything
3. In line 11, a “cartoon” could best be
described as
(A) A newspaper
(B) A type of teddy bear
(C) A drawing with a message
(D) A newspaper article
PASSAGE TWO (Question 4-6)
A supernova occurs when all of the hydrogen in the core of a huge
star is transformed to iron and explodes. All stars die after their nuclear
fuel has been exhausted. Stars with little mass die gradually, but those
Line with relatively large mass die in a sudden explosion, a supernova. The
(5) sudden flash of light can then be followed by several weeks of extremely
bright light, perhaps as much light as twenty million stars.
Supernovae are not very common; they occur about once every
64
READING COMPREHENSION
hundred years in any galaxy, and in 1987 a supernova that could be seen
by the nakedeye occurred in the Magellan Cloud, a galaxy close to the
(10) Milky Way. Scientists periodically detect supernova in other galaxies;
however, no supernova have occurred in the Milky Way on July 4, 1054.
There was a great explosion followed by three months of lighted skies,
and historical chronicles of the time were full of accounts and unusual
explanations for the misunderstood phenomenon – many people
believed that it meant that the world was coming to an end
4. A “supernova” in line 1 is which of 6. Word “Milky Way” line 10 could
the following? best be replaced by
(A) The iron component of a star (A) Part of Earth
(B) The core of a star (B) A galaxy close to Earth
(C) The hydrogen in a star (C) The galaxy that is home to Earth
(D) The explosion of a star (D) A creamy-colored cloud in the
sky
5. According to the passage, which of
the following best describes the
“Magellan Cloud” in line 9?
(A) A galaxy inside the Milky Way
(B) A cloud composed of hydrogen
(C) A galaxy near Earth’s galaxy
(D) A cloud in the sky above the
Earth
65
READING COMPREHENSION
66
