Part 2. Questions 66 – 75 (2.0 points - 0.
2/ each)
Read the passage below and choose the best answer to each question
Wood has long been a popular building material in North America because it has
generally been plentiful and cheap. Swedish settlers in Delaware built log cabins as
early as 1630s. In New England, British colonists built wooden ‘saltbox houses’. Most
of the wooden homes of Colonial times could be built with simple tools and minimal
skills.
In the early 19th century, the standard wooden house was built with beams set into
heavy posts and held together with wooden pegs. This method of construction was
time – consuming and required highly skilled workers with special tools. The balloon
– frame house, invented in 1833 in Chicago by a carpenter from Hartford. Connecticut,
used a frame of lightweight lumber, mostly 2´4 and 2´6 inches. This type of house
could be assembled by any careful worker who could saw in a straight line and drive a
nail.
This revolution in building was made possible by improved sawmills that could
quickly cut boards to standard sizes and the lower cost of lumber that resulted. There
were also new machines that could produce huge quantities of inexpensive nails.
Skeptics predicted that a strong wind could send such houses flying through the air
like balloons and, at first ‘balloon frame’ was a term of derision. But the light frames
proved practical, and wooden houses have been basically built this way ever since.
66. What is the main purpose of the passage?
A. To trace the influence of Swedish and British settlers on American styles of
buildings.
B. To stress the importance of wood as a building material.
C. To compare methods of constructing wooden houses in various parts of the
country.
D. To describe a revolutionary technique for constructing wooden houses.
67. According to the passage, where did the inventor of the balloon - frame house
originally come from?
A. Connecticut B. Chicago C. Sweden D. Delaware
68. Which of the following questions about the balloon-frame house is NOT answered in the
passage?
A. Where was it invented?
B. What was its inventor’s name?
C. What size was most of the lumber used in its framework?
D. In what year was it invented?
69. The author implies that which of the following types of houses required the most skill to
produce?
A. The log cabin built by Swedish settlers.
B. Saltbox houses.
C. Standard wooden houses of the early 19th century.
D. Balloon – frame houses.
70. All of the following are factors in the development of the balloon - frame house
EXCEPT ______.
A. the invention of sophisticated tools B. the production of cheap nails
C. improvements in sawmills D. the falling price of lumber
71. According to the passage, why was the term balloon -frame applied to certain
houses?
A. They could be moved from place to place.
B. They could be easily expanded.
C. They had rounded frames that slightly resembled balloons.
D. They were made of lightweight materials.
72. The word derision is closest in meaning to _______.
A. affection B. ignorance C. ridicule D. regret
73. Skeptics thought that the balloon – frame house would be _________.
A. expanded B. blown away C. demolished D. raised
74. The standard method of construction in the early 19th century was described as
_________.
A. revolutionary B. basic C. innovative D. time –
consuming
75. Most of the wooden houses of Colonial times were _________.
A. difficult to build B. easy to build C. demanding D.
challenging
