TSI testing questions and answers
Graded A+
In 2010, talk show host Oprah Winfrey and novelist Jonathan Franzen kissed and made
up after a nine-year feud. In 2001, Franzen was disinvited from appearing on Winfrey's
TV show to pitch his novel The Corrections after he made it clear that he was unhappy
about the book's being chosen for the Oprah Book Club. Describing his work as
"in the high-art literary tradition," Franzen said he didn't want to be associated with the
Club, which he accused of occasionally choosing "schmaltzy, one-dimensional" novels.
But Winfrey is apparently able to forgive and forget: she chose Franzen's next novel,
Freedom, for her book club and said of it, "Now you haven't heard me say this word
often, but this book is a masterpiece." - answersPride
The main authors of The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are usually
thought of as America's "Founding Fathers." Other, less known personages also
deserve the title, however, and Noah Webster was one
of these. Through his writings, which include the still- influential dictionary that bears his
name, Webster sought to legitimize an "American English" that was independent of
British spelling and pronunciation. For instance, Webster removed the "u" from "colour,"
creating the distinct American version of the word. - answersTo present information
about an important American
Television has been the primary source of information and entertainment for most
Americans over the last 50 years. However, with Internet use on the rise year after year,
some may wonder if surfing the net will soon surpass watching television as Americans'
primary leisure activity. Indeed, some recent surveys show that time spent on the
Internet
is now greater than time spent in front of the television. However, this statistic may not
tell the whole story, as 59% of Americans say they multitask, using the Internet and
watching TV simultaneously. - answersmay have become less popular than the Internet
If you are committed to healthy, green living and want to reduce your environmental
footprint, you might consider expanding your daily diet to include bugs. Supporters of
the edible insect initiative rightfully argue that farming insects has a much lower
environmental impact than does raising livestock since bugs are easier to harvest and
require a fraction of the water and land space that cattle need. Indeed, the high-protein,
low-fat health benefits of bug-eating have long been known. For hundreds of years,
crickets, silkworms and even tarantulas have been served roasted, stewed and fried at
the dinner tables of many cultures. - answersinterest and support
If you are committed to healthy, green living and want to reduce your environmental
footprint, you might consider expanding your daily diet to include bugs. Supporters of
the edible insect initiative rightfully argue that farming insects has a much lower
,environmental impact than does raising livestock since bugs are easier to harvest and
require a fraction of the water and land space that cattle need. Indeed, the high-protein,
low-fat health benefits of bug-eating have long been known. For hundreds of years,
crickets, silkworms and even tarantulas have been served roasted, stewed and fried at
the dinner tables of many cultures.
In the first sentence, "expanding" most nearly means - answersBroadening
Long thought to be a case of mistaken identity, the discovery of the Bornean rainbow
toad by European explorers in 1924 was recently verified by scientists. The explorers
had made a black-and-white sketch of an unusual toad they had found in the jungles of
Southeast Asia, christening it the Bornean rainbow toad. Skeptical but curious,
scientists recently went to look for the toad—and ended up finding three specimens. -
answersSome people doubted the existence of the toad
Plywood, while not the most pleasing wood to look at, has become an incredibly
important building material in house construction. It is flexible, inexpensive, and strong.
Its strength is due to layers of thin wood glued on top of each other with the grain of
each layer making a right angle with the grain of the layer below it. This way of layering
the sheets of wood makes plywood difficult to break.
Which word best describes the author's attitude towards plywood's qualities -
answersImpressed
Plywood, while not the most pleasing wood to look at, has become an incredibly
important building material in house construction. It is flexible, inexpensive, and strong.
Its strength is due to layers of thin wood glued on top of each other with the grain of
each layer making a right angle with the grain of the layer below it. This way of layering
the sheets of wood makes plywood difficult to break.
According to the passage, the arrangement of the layers of thin wood explains
plywood's - answersstrength
Studies show that the prevalence of fast-food restaurants corresponds with the rates of
obesity
in both children and adults. Obesity is now on the rise in countries outside the U.S.,
where fast food restaurants are becoming more common. - answersThey express
roughly the same idea.
It is said that a smile is universally understood. Nothing triggers a smile more universally
than the taste of sugar. Nearly everyone loves sugar. Infant studies indicate that
humans are born with an innate love of sweets. Based on statistics, a lot of people in
Great Britain must be smiling because on average, every man, woman and child in that
country consumes 95 pounds of sugar each year.
This passage implies that the writer thinks that 95 pounds of sugar per person per year
is: - answersa surprisingly large amount
Some historians attribute the origins of the front porches so common in American
houses to the covered porticos of classical Rome. Indeed, our word "porch" derives
, from the Latin portico. However, these colonnaded spaces were almost always
connected to public or religious structures rather than to private homes. The loggias of
Renaissance Venice, recessed front entryways built into the ground floor of Venetian
canal houses, perhaps provide a better starting point for the evolution of the American-
style porch. This architectural feature later became popularized throughout Europe by
the 17th-century Venetian architect Andrea Palladio. Eventually, English colonists would
spread the loggia to the American colonies.
Why does the author mention Venetian architect Andrea Palladio? - answersPalladio
inspired other builders to include loggias in their designs.
Our bones grow continuously throughout our lives, with old bone cells dying and being
discarded. However, for astronauts who are in space for a prolonged period, a lack of
gravitational pull—which has a number of beneficial effects on the body, including
supporting new bone growth—results in their bones adding less bone tissue to replace
dying tissue. In fact, for every month in space, a person will lose 1.5 to 2% of his or her
bone mass, with the hip bone and the lower leg bones most affected.
It can be inferred from the passage that - answersthe lower body typically experiences
more bone growth than the upper body D.
astronauts seldom stay in space for more than a month
Our bones grow continuously throughout our lives, with old bone cells dying and being
discarded. However, for astronauts who are in space for a prolonged period, a lack of
gravitational pull—which has a number of beneficial effects on the body, including
supporting new bone growth—results in their bones adding less bone tissue to replace
dying tissue. In fact, for every month in space, a person will lose 1.5 to 2% of his or her
bone mass, with the hip bone and the lower leg bones most affected.
The human body adds bone mass in order to: - answersreplace dead bone tissue
Polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, is used in most water-carrying pipes in the United States.
Known for their resistance to the corrosion that can be caused by water, PVC pipes are
more durable than the metal pipes of old. As useful as PVC is, it may be surprising that
it was accidentally discovered in 1835 by Henri Victor Regnault, who observed a
mysterious white solid plastic forming inside some test tubes that were left exposed to
sunlight in his lab.
It can be inferred from the passage that metal pipes - answersare more likely to corrode
than PVC pipes
American copyright laws, laws that prohibit the use, distribution, or adaptation of
another's product without permission, first applied only to the copying of books, but now
cover such diverse products as sound recordings, motion pictures, and computer
programs. The federal Copyright Act of 1790 allowed copyright protection for 14 years
with one 14-year extension allowed (if the author survived the first 14-year term). The
Copyright Act of 1909 extended copyright protection to 28 years with a 28-year renewal,
and the Copyright Act of 1976 extended it further, to 75 years. - answersTo indicate how
copyright laws have changed
