BAHASA INGGRIS Reading Comprehension

Questions 1- 11 E. desert has arid surface in general

Most people think of deserts as dry, flat areas 3. The passage describes the geography of
with little vegetation and little or no rainfall, but deserts as ….
this is hardly true. Many deserts have varied
A. flat
geographical formations ranging from soft,
rolling hills to stark, jagged cliffs, and most B. sandy
deserts have a permanent source of water. C. varied
Although deserts do not receive a high amount of D. void of vegetation
rainfall–to be classified as a desert, an area must E. windy
receive less than twenty-five centimeters of
rainfall per year–there are many plants that 4. The word “source” in paragraph 1 means ….
thrive on only small amounts of water, and A. supply
deserts are often full of such plant life.
B. storage space
C. need
Desert plants have a variety of mechanisms for
obtaining the water needed for survival. Some D. lack
plants, such as cactus, are able to store large E. delivery
amounts of water in their leaves or stems; after a
rainfall, these plants absorb a large supply of 5. According to the passage, what causes an
water to last until the next rainfall. Other plants, area to be classified as a desert?
such as the mesquite, have extraordinarily deep A. The type of plants
root systems that allow them to obtain water B. The geographical formations
from far below the desert’s arid surface.
C. The amount of precipitation
D. The source of water
1. What is the main topic of the passage? E. The temperature
A. Desserts are dry, flat areas with few
6. The word “thrive” in paragraph 1 means ….
plants.
A. suffer
B. There is little rainfall in the desert.
B. grow well
C. Many kinds of vegetation can survive
C. minimally survive
with little water.
D. decay
D. Deserts are not really flat areas with
E. weak
little plant life.
E. Vegetations in the desert have complex
7. The word “mechanism” in paragraph 2
root systems.
could most easily be replaced by ….
A. machines
2. The passage implies that ….
B. pumps
A. the typical conception of a desert is
C. sources
incorrect
D. ways
B. all deserts are dry, flat areas
E. methods
C. most people are well informed about
desert
D. the lack of rainfall in deserts causes the
8. Which of the following is mentioned in the
lack of vegetation
passage about cacti?
 BAHASA INGGRIS Reading Comprehension

A. They have deep root systems. The earliest form of jazz was ragtime, lively
B. They retain water from one rainfall to songs or rags performed on the piano, and the
the next. best-known of the ragtime performers and
composers was Scott Joplin. Born in 1868 to
C. They survive in the desert because they
former slaves, Scott Joplin earned his living from
do not need water. a very early age playing the piano in bars along
D. They get water from deep below the the Mississippi. One of his regular jobs was in the
surface of the desert. Maple Leaf Club in Sedalia, Missouri. It was there
E. They have a complex rooting system. that he began writing the more than 500
compositions that he was to produce, the most
9. “Mesquite” in paragraph 2 is probably …. famous of which was “The Maple Leaf Rag”.
A. a type of tree
B. a desert animal 12. The passage is about ….
C. a type of cactus A. jazz in general and one specific type of
D. a geographical formation in the desert jazz
E. a kind of root B. the various sources of jazz
C. the life of Scott Joplin
10. The word “arid” in paragraph 2 means …. D. the major characteristics of jazz
A. deep E. the biography of Scott Joplin
B. dry
13. The word “conglomeration” in paragraph 1
C. sandy
could best be replaced by ….
D. superficial
A. disharmony
E. wet
B. mixture
11. Where in the passage does the author C. purity
describe desert vegetation that keeps water D. treasure
in its leaves? E. separation
A. Second sentence of paragraph 1
B. Third sentence of paragraph 1 14. In paragraph 1, the word “improvisation”
C. First sentence of paragraph 2 involves which of the following?
D. Second sentence of paragraph 2 A. Playing the written parts of the music
E. Last sentence of paragraph 2 B. Performing similarly to other musicians
C. Making up the music while playing
Questions 12-21 D. Playing a varied selections of musical
compositions
American jazz is a conglomeration of sounds E. Performing a song by piano
borrowed from such varied sources as American
and African folk music, European classical music,
15. According to the passage, ragtime was ….
and Christian gospel songs. One of the
A. generally performed on variety of
recognizable characteristics of jazz is its use of
improvisation: certain parts of the music are instruments
written out and played the same way by various B. the first type of jazz
performers, and other improvised parts are C. extremely soothing and sedate
created spontaneously during a performance and D. performed only at the Maple Leaf Club
vary widely from performer to performer. in Sedalia
 BAHASA INGGRIS Reading Comprehension

E. a musical instrument C. the name of the town where he was

born
16. Which of the following statements is true D. the school where he learned to play the
according to the passage? piano
A. Scott Joplin was a slave when he was E. the piano he used in his early ages
born.
B. Scott Joplin’s parents had been slaves 21. The paragraph following the passage
before Scott was born. probably discusses ….
C. Scott Joplin had formerly been a slave, A. Sedalia, Missouri
but he no longer was after 1868. B. the Maple Leaf Club
D. Scott Joplin’s parents were slaves when C. the numerous compositions of Scott
Scott was born. Joplin
E. Scott Joplin played African folk music. D. the life of Scott Joplin
E. the childhood of Scott Joplin
17. The word “living” in paragraph 2 could most
easily be replaced by …. Questions 22-30
A. money
The idea of determinism, that no event occurs in
B. lifestyle nature without natural causes, has been
C. enjoyment postulated as a natural law yet is under attack on
D. health both scientific and philosophical grounds.
E. childhood Scientific laws assume that a specific set of
conditions will unerringly lead to a
18. The word “regular” in paragraph 2 could predetermined outcome. However, studies in the
best be replaced by …. field of physics have demonstrated that the
location and speed of miniscule particles such as
A. popular
electrons are the results of random behaviors
B. steady rather than predictable results determined by
C. unusual pre-existing conditions. As a result of these
D. boring studies, the principle of indeterminacy was
formulated in 1925 by Werner Heisenberg.
E. unstable According to this principle, only the probable
behavior of an electron can be predicted. The
19. The word “which” in paragraph 2 refers to inability to predict the behavior of electrons casts
…. doubt on the universal applicability of a natural
A. regular jobs law of determinism. Philosophically, the principal
B. the Maple Leaf Club opposition to determinism emanates from those
who see humans as creatures in possession of
C. Sedalia, Missouri
free will. Human decisions may be influenced by
D. ragtime previous events, but the ultimate freedom of
E. 500 compositions humanity may lead to unforeseen choices, those
not preordained by preceding events.
20. The name of Scott Joplin’s most famous
compositions probably came from …. 22. It is implied in the passage that natural law
A. the name of a club where he performed ….
B. the maple tree near his Sedalia home
 BAHASA INGGRIS Reading Comprehension

A. is something that applies to science D. It is concerned with the random

only behavior of electrons.
B. can be incontrovertibly found in the E. It was formulated in 1925 by Werner
idea of determinism Heisenberg
C. is philosophically acceptable
D. is a principle to which there is no 27. The phrase "emanates from" in the seventh
exception sentence is the easiest to replace with …
E. occurs with unnatural cause in real life A. derives from
B. differs from
23. The word “unerringly” in the second C. is in contrast to
sentence could be most easily replaced by … D. is subordinate to
A. fortunately E. taken fron
B. effortlessly
C. without mistake 28. It is implied in the passage that free will is
D. with guidance ….
E. wrong way A. accepted by all philosophers
B. a direct outcome of Werner’s principle
24. The idea of determinism is refitted in this of indeterminacy
passage based on …. C. the antithesis of determinism
A. scientific proof D. a natural law
B. data from the science and philosophy E. specific set of conditions
of determinism
C. principles or assumptions from 29. The word "unforeseen" at the end of the
different fields of study paragraph is the closest in meaning to ...
A. forewarned
D. philosophical doubt about free will
B. blind
E. science and physics
C. unappreciated
25. The word "miniscule" in the third sentence D. unconditional
has the closest meaning to ... E. unpredictable
A. charged
B. fast-moving 30. Where in the passage does the author
C. circular mention who developed the contrary
D. giant principle to determinism?
E. tiny A. first sentence
B. second sentence
26. According to the passage, which of the C. third sentence
following is not true about the principle of D. fourth sentence
indeterminacy? E. fifth sentence
A. It was formulated based on studies in
physics.
B. It is philosophically unacceptable.
C. It has been in existence for more than a
decade.
 BAHASA INGGRIS Reading Comprehension

Questions 31-40
31. What does the passage mainly discuss?
As Philadelphia grew from a small town into a city A. Philadelphia’s agriculture importance
in the first half of the eighteenth century, it B. Philadelphia’s development as a
became an increasingly important marketing
marketing center
center for a vast and growing agricultural
hinterland. Market days saw the crowded city C. The sale of imported goods in
even more crowded, as fanners from within a Philadelphia
radius of 24 or more kilometers brought their D. The administration of the city of
sheep, cows, pigs, vegetables, cider, and other Philadelphia
products for direct sale to the townspeople. The E. Philadelphia's merchants community
High Street Market was continuously enlarged
throughout the period until 1736 when it
32. It can be inferred from the passage that
reached from Front Street to Third. By 1745 New
Market was opened on Second Street between new markets opened in Philadelphia
Pine and Cedar. The next year the Callowhill because ….
Market began operation. Along with market A. they provided more modem facilities
days, the institution of twice-yearly fairs than older markets
persisted in Philadelphia even after similar B. the High Street Market was forced to
trading days had been discontinued in other close
colonial cities. The fairs provided a means of
C. existing markets were unable to serve
bringing handmade goods from outlying places to
would-be buyers in the city. Linens and stockings the growing population
from Germantown, for example, were popular D. farmers wanted markets that were
items. closer to the farms
E. auctions were popular form of trade
Auctions were another popular form of
occasional trade. Because of the competition,
33. The word “hinterland” in paragraph 1 is
retail merchants opposed these as well as the
fairs. Although governmental attempts to closest in meaning to the….
eradicate fairs and auctions were less than A. tradition
successful, the ordinary course of economic B. association
development was on the merchants’ side, as C. produce
increasing business specialization became the D. region
order of the day. Export merchants became E. island
differentiated from their importing counterparts,
and specialty shops began to appear in addition
to general stores selling a variety of goods. 34. The word “it” in when it reached from Front
Street to Third (paragraph 1) refers to …..
One of the reasons Philadelphia’s merchants A. the crowded city
generally prospered was that the surrounding B. a radius
area was undergoing tremendous economic and C. the High Street Market
demographic growth. They did their business, D. the period
after all, in the capital city of the province. Not
E. sale
only did they cater to the governor and his circle,
but citizens from all over the colony came to the
capital for legislative sessions of the assembly 35. The word “persisted” in paragraph 1 is
and council and the meetings of the courts of closest in meaning to ….
justice.
 BAHASA INGGRIS Reading Comprehension

A. returned C. Merchants had to work together to

B. started achieve economic independence
C. declined D. Specialty shops near large markets
D. postponed were more likely to be economically
E. continued successful.
E. The government succeeded in changing
36. According to the passage, fairs in the system
Philadelphia were held ….
A. on the same day as market says 40. The word “undergoing” in paragraph 3 is
B. as often as possible closest in meaning to ….
C. a couple of times a year A. requesting
D. whenever the government allowed it B. experiencing
E. in 1736 C. repeating
D. including
37. It can be inferred that the author mentions E. serving
“Linens and stockings” in paragraph 1 to
show that they were items that ….
Questions 41-45
A. retail merchants were not willing to sell
B. were not available in the stores in Sometimes experience in other countries can
Philadelphia help people to understand their own identity
C. were more popular in Germantown better. Mahatma Gandhi was born in 1869 at
man in Philadelphia Porbandar in Western India. After studying in
D. could easily be transported India, he dreamt of going to England to study. He
E. only be found in Philadelphia annual was told that his Hindu religion did not allow
voyages abroad. However, Gandhi was very
fair
determined and he finally left for England in
1887. At first, he tried to learn to behave like an
38. The word “eradicate” in paragraph 2 is English gentleman, but he soon learned that it
closest in meaning to …. was better to be himself. He studied law in
A. eliminate London, qualifying in 1891. He also learned about
B. exploit other religions.
C. organize
He returned home to India and worked as a
D. operate lawyer for two years. After some problems, he
E. run was offered a job in South Africa. Here he
experienced racism as a member of the Indian
39. What does the author mean by stating in community. He decided to fight for the rights of
paragraph 2 that “economic development Indians using “passive resistance". He had three
was on the merchants’ side”? main beliefs, namely non-violence, religious
tolerance, and truth. When he finally returned to
A. Merchants had a strong impact on
India in 1915, he became a great political leader.
economic expansion. During the fight for independence he was often
B. Economic forces allowed merchants to put in prison, but his beliefs never changed.
prosper.
 BAHASA INGGRIS Reading Comprehension

Gandhi had studied in Britain, so he understood D. he had the hardest time fighting for
the British better than they understood him. independence of his nation.
Gandhi's leadership led to independence, but, on E. he experienced racism when he was in
Independence Day, 15 August 1947, Gandhi South Africa.
refused to celebrate. He was in favor of Hindu-
Muslim unity but Muslims and Hindus could not 44. Mahatma Gandhi got his university degree in
agree, so a separate Muslim state was formed in ….
Pakistan. In 1948, Gandhi started fasting to death A. 1887.
as a protest against the fighting between India B. 1915.
and Pakistan. He was assassinated by a Hindu C. 1891.
fanatic on 30th January 1948. India and Pakistan D. 1947.
are still fighting in Kashmir today. The fight for E. 1948.
independence was a difficult one, but not as
difficult as the fight for non-violence, religious 45. The word non-violence in ‘He had three main
tolerance, and truth. beliefs, non-violence, religious tolerance, and
truth' (paragraph 2) can best be replaced
41. The following statements are true about by ….
Mahatma Gandhi, EXCEPT …. A. favorable conducts.
A. Mahatma Gandhi’s studying in Britain B. peaceful actions.
was against Hinduism principles. C. political spirits.
B. Gandhi believed in non-violence, D. religious prejudices.
religious tolerance and truth. E. passive behaviors.
C. Mahatma Gandhi learned and
understood about some religions well.
D. Mahatma Gandhi fought hard for unity
of his nation.
E. Mahatma Gandhi did not like the idea of
Hindu-Muslim unity in India.

42. The passage above mainly deals with

Mahatma Gandhi’s ….
A. search for principles of his three
main beliefs.
B. fighting against racism in South Africa.
C. political career as an important
national leader.
D. experience to identify his life principles.
E. political struggle for India's
independence.

43. We can infer from the following statements

about Mahatma Gandhi, EXCEPT ….
A. he understood Hinduism and lslam
equally well.
B. he knew well the characteristics of the
English people.
C. he had good knowledge about law
issues.
 BAHASA INGGRIS Reading Comprehension

PEMBAHASAN: untuk mendapatkan air untuk tetap hidup,

sehingga bisa digantikan dengan kata
1. Secara umum teks ini membahas tentang "methods".
karakteristik dari gurun yang selama ini Jawaban E
dianggap salah oleh kebanyakan orang
awam. 8. Telah dijelaskan pada paragraf kedua bahwa
Jawaban D kaktus banyak menyerap air saat hujan
untuk persediaan sampai hujan berikutnya
2. Berdasarkan informasi pada awal paragraf (these plants absorb a large supply of water
pertama, dapat disimpulkan bahwa to last until the next rainfall).
pandangan kebanyakan orang mengenai Jawaban B
konsep gurun selama ini masih salah.
Jawaban A 9. Mesquite merupakan sejenis tumbuhan atau
pohon seperti yang dijelaskan pada kalimat
3. Pada kalimat geographical formations “Other plants, such as the mesquite, have
ranging from soft, rolling hills to stark, extraordinarily deep root systems that allow
them to obtain water from far below the
jagged cliffs, and most deserts have a
desert’s arid surface”.
permanent source of water, dijelaskan Jawaban A
bahwa karakter geografis dari adalah
bervariasi (varied). 10. Kalimat tersebut membahas tentang
Jawaban C karakteristik dari permukaan gurun,
sehingga kata "arid" bisa diartikan sebagai
4. Konteks kalimat tersebut sedang membahas
"dry" (kering).
tentang ketersediaan pasokan air di gurun,
Jawaban B
sehingga kata source (sumber) bisa diartikan
sebagai supply (persediaan). 11. Informasi tersebut terdapat pada kalimat
Jawaban A Some plants, such as cactus, are able to store
large amounts of water in their leaves or
5. Pada akhir paragraf pertama dijelaskan stems.
bahwa gurun diklasifikasikan berdasarkan Jawaban D
curah hujan tahunan dan banyaknya
tumbuhan yang bisa bertahan dengan 12. Teks tersebut membahas tentang asal usul
kondisi sedikit air. musik jazz dan salah satu jenisnya, yaitu
Jawaban C ragtime, yang dipopulerkan oleh Scott
Joplin.
6. Konteks kalimat tersebut sedang membahas Jawaban A
kaitan antara tumbuhan dengan sedikit air,
oleh karena itu kata "thrive" bisa diartikan 13. Konteks kalimat tersebut sedang membahas
dengan "grow well" (tumbuh subur). tentang asal usul jazz yang berasal dari
Jawaban B berbagai berbagai aliran musik, oleh karena
itu kata "conglomeration" dapat diartikan
7. Kata "mechanism" dalam kalimat tersebut sebagai "mixture" (campuran).
berkaitan dengan bagaimana cara tumbuhan Jawaban B
 BAHASA INGGRIS Reading Comprehension

14. Istilah "improvisation" dijelaskan pada akhir 21. Prediksi topik untuk paragraf berikutnya
paragraf pertama dan dapat disimpulkan adalah berbagai komposisi yang dibuat oleh
bahwa hal tersebut merujuk pada cara Scott Joplin karena telah disebutkan di
permainan musik yang sifatnya spontan atau paragraf terakhir ia memiliki 500 komposisi.
tanpa rencana. Jawaban C
Jawaban C
22. Dari penjelasan pada awal paragraf dapat
15. Telah dijelaskan pada awal paragraf kedua disimpulkan bahwa hukum alam adalah
bahwa ragtime adalah jenis musik jazz yang sesuatu yang terjadi karena ada penyebab
pertama kali dipopulerkan. secara alamiah.
Jawaban B Jawaban D

16. Telah dijelaskan pada paragraf kedua bahwa 23. Kalimat tersebut sedang membahas tentang
orang tua dari Scott Joplin adalah mantan hukum sains sebagai sesuatu yang tepat atau
budak pada saat ia lahir di tahun 1868 (Born pasti, sehingga kata "unerringly" bisa
in 1868 to former slaves). diartikan menjadi "without mistake".
Jawaban B Jawaban C

17. Kalimat tersebut membahas tentang 24. Gagasan mengenai determinism yang
bagaimana cara Scott Joplin mencari dibahas dalam teks ini berdasarkan pada
penghidupan dengan dengan bermain musik bukti ilmiah karena menggunakan teori yang
di berbagai tempat, sehingga kata "living" relevan.
bisa diartikan sebagai "money". Jawaban A
Jawaban A
25. Karena konteksnya sedang membahas
18. Kata "regular" bisa diartikan sebagai tentang partikel elektron, maka kata
"steady" (tetap) karena konteksnya sedang "miniscule" bisa diartikan menjadi "tiny"
membahas tentang rutinitas pekerjaan Scott karena artinya "sangat kecil".
Joplin bermain musik di Maple Leaf Club. Jawaban E
Jawaban B
26. Prinsip indeterminacy tidak dapat diterima
19. Kata "which" pada kalimat tersebut merujuk secara filosofis karena bertentangan dengan
pada 500 komposisi yang dibuat oleh Scott determinism (Philosophically, the principal
Joplin karena konteksnya sedang membahas opposition to determinism).
salah satu karyanya, yaitu The Maple Leaf Jawaban B
Rag.
Jawaban E 27. Kalimat tersebut sedang membahas tentang
asal usul dari sebuah prinsip (determinism),
20. Judul karya Scott Joplin yang paling terkenal, sehingga kata "emanates" bisa dimaknai
The Maple Leaf Rag, berasal dari nama sebagai "derives from" (berasal dari).
tempat di mana ia rutin bermain musik Jawaban A
seperti yang dijelaskan pada paragraf kedua.
Jawaban A
 BAHASA INGGRIS Reading Comprehension

28. Free will merupakan konsep yang 34. Kata ganti it dalam kalimat tersebut merujuk
bertentangan dengan determinism, seperti pada High Street Market karena konteksnya
yang dijelaskan pada kalimat sedang menjelaskan perkembangan
Philosophically, the principal opposition to selanjutnya dari pasar tersebut.
determinism emanates from those who see Jawaban C
humans as creatures in possession of free
will. 35. Kata "persisted" bisa diartikan sebagai
Jawaban C "continued" karena konteksnya membahas
tentang event besar yang terus
29. Konteks kalimat tersebut membahas diselenggarakan.
tentang kebebasan manusia yang bisa Jawaban E
mengarahkan pada pilihan tak terduga,
sehingga kata "unforeseen" memiliki makna 36. Berdasarkan informasi dari kalimat the
yang sama dengan "unpredictable". institution of twice-yearly fairs persisted in
Jawaban E Philadelphia, pekan raya (fair) di
Philadelphia diselenggarakan setahun dua
30. Pembahasan mengenai Werner Heisenberg kali.
yang mencetuskan prinsip indeterminacy Jawaban C
terdapat pada kalimat the principle of
indeterminacy was formulated in 1925 by 37. Linen and stocking adalah contoh barang
Werner Heisenberg. yang tidak terdapat di Philadelphia karena
Jawaban B harus didatangkan dari Germantown (Linens
and stockings from Germantown, for
31. Secara umum teks ini membahas tentang
example, were popular items).
bagaimana perekonomian berjalan di
Jawaban B
Philadelphia dan semakin berkembang
menjadi pusat pemasaran.
38. Konteks kalimat tersebut negatif karena
Jawaban B
membahas tentang pekan raya (fair) yang
mencoba untuk dihilangkan, jadi kata
32. Pada paragraf pertama terdapat informasi
"eradicate" sama artinya dengan
mengenai pembukaan beberapa pasar baru
"eliminate".
di Philadelphia, sehingga dapat disimpulkan
Jawaban A
bahwa hal itu terjadi akibat populasi semakin
bertambah (Market days saw the crowded
39. Pada paragraf kedua dijelaskan pergantian
city even more crowded).
sistem yang dilakukan pemerintah tidak
Jawaban C
berdampak apapun terhadap pedagang,
sehingga kondisi tersebut tetap
33. Kalimat tersebut mendeskripsikan tentang
menguntungkan bagi mereka.
perkembangan Philadelphia yang menjadi
Jawaban B
pusat pemasaran bagi daerah pedalaman,
sehingga kata "hinterland" berkaitan dengan
40. Kata "undergoing" bisa diartikan sebagai
"region".
"experiencing" (mengalami) karena
Jawaban D
 BAHASA INGGRIS Reading Comprehension

konteksnya membahas tentang faktor apa

yang membuat para pedagang di
Philadelphia bisa menjadi makmur.
Jawaban B.

41. Pernyataan yang salah dari pilihan ganda

adalah Mahatma Gandhi did not like the idea
of Hindu-Muslim Unity in India. (Mahatma
Gandhi tidak setuju dengan persatuan
Hindu-Muslim di India) Sedangkan dalam
paragraph 3 disebutkan bahwa He was in
favor of Hindu-Muslim unity (Ia sangat
mendukung persaturan Hindu-Muslim)
Jawaban E

42. Hal yang berkaitan erat dengan Mahatma

Gandhi adalah Experienced to identify his life
principles. Dalam paragraf 2 di sebutkan
bahwa He decided to fight for the rights of
Indians using “passive resistance”. He had
three main beliefs, namely non-violence,
religious tolerance, and truth. Ketiga hal
tersebut menjadi prinsip hidupnya.
Jawaban D

43. Pernyataan yang salah dari pilihan ganda

adalah He had the hardest time fighting for
independence of his nation. Sedangkan
dalam paragraf terakhir disebutkan bahwa
the fight for independence was a difficult
one, but not as difficult as the fight for non-
violence, religious tolerance, and truth.
Jawaban D

44. Mahatma Gandhi mendapatkan gelar

sarjana nya pada tahun 1891. Dalam pragraf
1 disebutkan bahwa He studied law in
London, qualifying in 1891.
Jawaban C

45. Non-violence, religious tolerance, and truth.

Ketiga hal adalah sebuah aksi damai dari
Mahatma Gandhi
Jawaban B