MAP reading test

Which of the following definitions is the best definition for a simile?

• a series of two or more words that begin with the same sound

• an expression whose meaning cannot be understood from the meaning of each separate word

• a figure of speech used to compare two things using words such as "like" or "as"

• a figure of speech used to compare two things without using words such as "like" or "as"

Read the passage.

English author J. K. Rowling's life is a rags-to-riches story: her mother was ill for many years and passed away when Rowling was twenty-five years old. Then she moved to Portugal, taught English as a foreign language, and she got married and gave birth to a daughter. Due to the aggression of her husband, she had to leave him and return to the UK a year later. She had started writing Harry Potter, but she was unemployed and lived in a small apartment with her baby daughter. She had a low self-esteem at the time. When she finished writing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, several publishers rejected the book. At last, Bloomsbury Publishing, a British publishing house, agreed to publish it, requesting that she use her initials in her pen name, because the publisher believed female authors' names were less appealing to young boys.Once the Harry Potter books were published, they became an instant success. Their popularity only grew as the series progressed, and they have now sold hundreds of millions of copies and have been translated into over 80 different languages. Rowling has now made a fortune from her books; she became a self-made billionaire and the first person to lose the billionaire title due to donations to charity. She is now worth about $860 million and is the highest paid author in the world.

Why did Rowling not sign her full name on the Harry Potter books?

• because she wanted to become a billionaire

• because her publisher thought it was important to donate a lot of money to charity

• because she had a low self-esteem at the time

• because her publisher thought the book would be less successful if she did

Read the passage.

A capsule hotel is a type of hotel developed in Japan. What makes it so special is the fact that it doesn't have rooms: the guests sleep in tiny box-shaped "rooms," called capsules, that have room only for a bed. The bed takes up the entire capsule and the guest cannot sit upright inside the capsule, but only lie down. The capsule is typically made of plastic or fiberglass. The capsules are stacked side by side, two units high. Most capsules include a television and a wi-fi connection, and the hotel provides vending machines and sometimes a restaurant and a pool. This style of hotel can be found primarily in Japan, but can also be found in Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Belgium. These hotels are very popular among people without a lot of money and only wish to stay one night. A capsule hotel might have as few as fifty or as many as seven hundred capsules.

What is one reason to choose a capsule hotel over a regular hotel?

• It is a lot cheaper.

• It offers a restaurant and a pool.

• It is a traditional part of trips to Japan.

• It includes a wi-fi connection.

Read the passage.

The first ice cream maker was invented by Nancy Johnson. She received a patent in 1843 for her invention, a small-scale ice cream freezer, which comprised two spatulas that fit tightly into a long cylindrical barrel. The spatulas contained holes and were attached to a shaft that could be rotated with a crank, while the cylinder was cooled from the outside with a salt and ice mixture. The spatulas could be rotated in the mix and scrape ice crystals off the inner wall of the cylinder simultaneously. This invention made ice cream making far easier than it had been, and ensured a more uniform texture than had been possible before. It was even possible to produce two flavors of ice cream simultaneously.After Nancy Johnson received her patent, she did not have enough money and resources to manufacture her machine and market it. Therefore, she sold the patent to William Young for $200. Young, in his turn, marketed the machine as the "Johnson Patent Ice Cream Freezer." The mechanism of Johnson's machine was used in ice cream makers around the world for many years, and William Young made a fortune.

Which of the following is correct according to the passage?

• Nancy Johnson marketed her invention as the

  "Johnson Patent Ice Cream Freezer."

• The new machine was the most complex machine ever made.

• Someone else made a fortune because of Johnson's invention.

• Nancy Johnson always wanted to receive a patent and become famous.

Read the sentence.

Despite the fact that he always thinks he knows everything, he is not omniscient.

Which of the following words is a synonym (a word that shares the same meaning with another) of the word omniscient?

• powerful

• alienated

• all-knowing

• thoughtful

Read the passage.

Corinna was riding her bike along Wisteria Lane, thinking of her science test the next day. She liked science, but this week she had been busy and had barely studied. She would have to work hard tonight.As she kept riding, she suddenly heard someone scream from inside the nearest house and stopped her bike. Before she could do anything else, a girl came running out of the house and up to her, calling her name.Corinna knew the girl. It was Carmen, who was in her grade and whom she greatly disliked. Carmen had never invited Corinna to her birthday parties and had always made fun of Corinna's jeans and shoes, which were not trendy enough for her taste."Corinna," said Carmen, her eyes full of tears, "can you please help me? My little sisters are crying, and I don't know what to do. None of the neighbors are home… My parents went on a day trip and left me in charge, and I don't know what to do… please?"Corinna sighed, but something in Carmen's eyes made her unable to say no. She thought for a moment, then nodded and followed Carmen to the house. Carmen's little sisters were screaming and crying at the top of their lungs, but Corinna had four little brothers and sisters of her own and knew exactly what to do and how to calm them down.She left Carmen's house three hours later, with the girls fast asleep and Carmen thanking her repeatedly. "You're the best, Corinna. I'll never forget what you did for me! Thank you so much!"

What is the main conflict in the story?

• Carmen teasing Corinna about her jeans and shoes and not inviting her to her parties

• Corinna having a lot of work to do

• Carmen's parents leaving her in charge of her sisters despite her incompetency

• Corinna having to decide whether or not to help

  Carmen

Read the passage.

Scientists have been trying to figure out why clowns, who are meant to make us laugh, are so scary, and have recently come up with a new theory. Clowns have exaggerated facial features and body parts, including hands, feet, and noses. However, the scariest part is, evidently, the smile. Clowns typically have a red, painted smile, which our brains perceive as a regular smile; however, unlike a natural smile, a clown's smile never falters. Clowns keep smiling, whether they are happy, sad, or upset. No matter the situation, clowns keep smiling. Our brains might recognize that the clown's smile is independent of the situation, and therefore, interpret it as unnatural and scary.

What is the author's assumption in the passage?

• Clowns are amusing.

• Clowns are an inseparable part of any child's party.

• Everyone experiences clowns are scary.

• It does not make sense to fear clowns.

Read the passage.

Tarzan, the 1999 Disney animated film, had a rich soundtrack composed and recorded by Phil Collins, the famous English musician. Collins recorded the songs not only in his native English, but also in French, Italian, Spanish, and German. It was the first Disney soundtrack to be recorded in multiple languages by the same musician. One of the famous songs from the soundtrack, "You'll Be in My Heart," won both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.The success was so big that Collins wrote and composed the soundtrack for Disney's 2003 animated film Brother Bear, and once again recorded some of the songs himself.

Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage?

• Phil Collins is a famous English musician.

• Brother Bear was the last Disney soundtrack that

  Collins composed.

• One song Collins composed won two awards.

• Phil Collins's native language is English.

Read the passage.

Eugene thought he and his little sister were too old to have a babysitter, but their parents, evidently, thought otherwise and insisted on bringing one every time they went out. They have endured some horrific babysitters, including one that sent them to bed at seven o'clock, and another who broke the DVD and then blamed it on them. But this one, their parents promised, was different. Even though Eugene doubted it, he had promised his parents to give her a chance.The babysitter was about seventeen years old, and her name was Laurel. As soon as their parents left, she asked Eugene and his sister Kathleen what they wanted to do. They wanted to watch television. Laurel joined them, but after about twenty minutes, she turned it off."Hey, we were watching that!" Eugene protested."Oh, but I've got something much more interesting for us to do," Laurel replied. "I'm going to tell you a story."Eugene and Kathleen exchanged gloomy looks. They were not in the mood for a story. They wanted to watch TV. But Laurel seemed so determined that they kept quiet. Laurel took a chair and sat in front of them."I want to tell you about something that happened to me two days ago," Laurel began. "I was in the supermarket when a very old lady that I had never seen before came up to me and asked me if I was interested in a deal. I didn't know what she was offering, so I said, why not. She beckoned me over to a part of the supermarket I had never seen before, which was much darker than the rest of the store, with all kinds of strange products in languages I couldn't read…"Eugene and Kathleen listened with their mouths open. A few minutes later, Laurel paused, took a deep breath and asked: "So, would you like to watch TV now?""No! No! Go on!" they both protested at once. Laurel grinned and went on. She kept telling them stories until their parents came back. As soon as she left, Eugene and Kathleen told their parents they would never agree to have another babysitter except for Laurel. "And can you please go out again tomorrow?" Kathleen added.

Laurel turning off the television is an example of which kind of technique?

• alliteration

• rising action

• imagery

• irony

Which of the following words means "faulty structure"?

• misinterpretation

• ungraceful

• unaccountable

• malformation