Small Cars Make Big Jumps in Safety

Which of the following best describes how small and large cars differ?

• Smaller cars are lighter and therefore typically provide less crash protection, while larger cars are heavier and therefore provide more protection.
• Smaller cars won 11 of the 21 top scores in side protection, while larger cars won only 3 of the 19 top scores.
• Smaller cars provide side air bags as standard equipment for car buyers, while larger cars provide side air bags as an optional feature.
• Smaller cars typically lack air bags to help in side crashes, while larger cars typically lack air bags to help in frontal crashes.

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Which of these should not be included in a summary of this article?

• Joe Nolan is a senior vice president for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
• Vehicles are tested for their "crashworthiness" and receive ratings on a four-tier scale.
• Autodata Corporation compiled data outlining a notable increase in small car purchases.
• Data shows that 11 of the 21 small cars tested earned top scores in side protection.

Which is the closest synonym for the word meritorious?

• Affable
• Malleable
• Estimable
• Palatable

Which of these is a statement of fact?

• Subaru and Honda manufacture the most comfortable small cars in the industry.
• Subaru was given IIHS's "Top Safety Pick 2009" award for its Impreza model.
• It would be worth it for Chrysler to make major improvements to the PT Cruiser.
• It is logical that Toyota won several IIHS awards for being tops in safety.

Which question is not answered by the article?

• What improvements have been made to small cars in recent years to improve safety?
• Why aren't side air bags required equipment for all car models, large and small?
• What small car was determined to lack the same level of crash protection as others?
• Why does the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety conduct crash tests of all cars?

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What is this article mainly about?

• Automobile manufacturers, including Toyota and Subaru, all won safety awards for making vehicles that do not roll over.
• Technology called "electronic stability control" helps to prevent vehicles from rolling over during a serious crash.
• Automobile manufacturers are making smaller cars that are better equipped to protect passengers in serious crashes.
• Crash test dummy results show how real drivers would or would not be injured in a real vehicle crash.

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The article states: Nolan ascribed the improvement in part to the growing trend of installing of side air bags as standard equipment, rather than as an optional feature for car buyers.Which would be the closest synonym for the word ascribed?

• Attributed
• Assailed
• Originated
• Obliterated

What cause and effect relationship is described in this article?

• The poor performance of the 2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser in crash tests has resulted in Chrysler redesigning the car to make it safer.
• The safety awards given by the IIHS have resulted in more consumers purchasing the ESC option on small cars.
• The growing trend of using a four-tier scale to assess cars' crash safety has resulted in improved ratings for small cars.
• The growing trend of adding side air bags to small cars has resulted in much better safety ratings for many models.

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