TSI Reading Overview

1. When we think of volcanoes, eruptions, lava, and smoke-filled air come to mind—all occurring on land. Most people are surprised to learn about the prevalence of underwater volcanoes on our planet. Because the lava and smoke spilling out of an active, underwater volcano is contained by the ocean, people generally do not take note of these eruptions. However, the largest underwater volcanoes are capable of creating huge tidal waves, threatening coastal communities.

The main idea of this passage was...

• traditional volcanoes and underwater volcanoes are similar

• the lava and smoke from an underwater volcano is contained by the sea

• most tidal waves are caused by underwater volcanoes

• underwater volcanoes receive little attention but can be dangerous

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2. 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.”

The passage implies that Franzen's criticism of the Oprah Book Club was motivated primarily by..

• pride

• anger

• insensitivity

• ignorance

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3. 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.

What is the main idea of the passage?

• To praise the Founding Fathers

• To present information about an important American

• To define and explain “American English”

• To distinguish American dictionaries from British dictionaries

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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.

Which words best describe the author's attitude toward the "edible insect initiative?

• awe and amazement

• interest and support

• disgust and distaste

• fear and apprehension

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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.

The passage implies which of the following about the Bornean rainbow toad.

• Some people doubted the existence of the toad.

• Scientists were confident that they would find the toad.

• The surviving toads have been relocated to Europe.

• No human being had seen the toad since 1924.

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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.

The main idea of the passage is that television

• is only one of many information sources

• may have become less popular than the Internet

• is watched by more people now than ever before

• focuses more on entertainment than on news

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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 plywoods...

• strength

• cost

• attractiveness

• flexibility

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The 1922 German Expressionist film Nosferatu, directed by F. W. Murnau, is considered one of the most influential films in cinematic history—while also being a classic vampire movie. The film is closely based on Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, Dracula; however, the villain in the film is called “Count Orlok” rather than “Count Dracula.” The reason is that the small studio that produced the film, Prana Film, was unable to secure the rights to Stoker’s novel. In fact, shortly after finishing Nosferatu, its one and only film, Prana went bankrupt in order to dodge copyright lawsuits from Stoker’s widow.

Why does the author say that the vampire in Nosferatu is named "Count Orlok" and not "Count Dracula"?

• To show that the makers of Nosferatu made minor changes to Stoker’s novel

• To suggest that the characters in Nosferatu were based on real people instead of literary characters

• To criticize Nosferatu for its differences from its source

• To praise the makers of Nosferatu for their imagination in recreating Stoker’s novel

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The author of Passage 2 probably would respond to the last sentence of Passage 1 (“Parents . . . every day!”) by

• asserting that parents should help children find a balance of indoor and outdoor activities

• claiming that young children often know more about computers than their parents do

• pointing out that many children would rather use technology than play outside

• arguing that children should be spending more time using computers

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The author of Passage 1 would most likely criticize the author of Passage 2 for

• overemphasizing the strength of the data about students’ technological literacy

• overlooking the drawbacks of increasing the time children spend using technology

• dismissing as unimportant the development that occurs during outdoor activities

• exaggerating the proportion of careers that require knowledge of science and math

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