TOEFL READING 500
With Robert Laurent and William Zorach, direct carving enters into the story of
modern sculpture in the United States. Direct carving ― in which the sculptors
themselves carve stone or wood with mallet and chisel ― must be recognized as
Line something more than just a technique. Implicit in it is an aesthetic principle as well :
(5) that the medium has certain qualities of beauty and expressiveness with which
sculptors must bring their own aesthetic sensibilities into harmony. For example,
sometimes the shape or veining in a piece of stone or wood suggests, perhaps even
dictates, not only the ultimate form, but even the subject matter.
The technique of direct carving was a break with the nineteenth-century tradition in
(10) which the making of a clay model was considered the creative act and the work was
then turned over to studio assistants to be cast in plaster or bronze or carved in marble. Neoclassical sculptors seldom held a mallet or chisel in their own hands, readily
conceding that the assistants they employed were far better than they were at carving
the finished marble.
(15) With the turn-of-the-century Crafts movement and the discovery of nontraditional
sources of inspiration, such as wooden African figures and masks, there arose a new
urge for hands-on, personal execution of art and an interaction with the medium. Even
as early as the 1880's and 1890's, nonconformist European artists were attempting
direct carving. By the second decade of the twentieth century, Americans ― Laurent
(20) and Zorach most notably ― had adopted it as their primary means of working.
Born in France, Robert Laurent(1890-1970)was a prodigy who received his
education in the United States. In 1905 he was sent to Paris as an apprentice to an art
dealer, and in the years that followed he witnessed the birth of Cubism, discovered
primitive art, and learned the techniques of woodcarving from a frame maker.
(25) Back in New York City by 1910, Laurent began carving pieces such as The
Priestess, which reveals his fascination with African, pre-Columbian, and South
Pacific art. Taking a walnut plank, the sculptor carved the expressive, stylized design.
It is one of the earliest examples of direct carving in American sculpture. The plank's
form dictated the rigidly frontal view and the low relief. Even its irregular shape must
(30) have appealed to Laurent as a break with a long-standing tradition that required a
sculptor to work within a perfect rectangle or square.
match the highest resolution possible with electron microscopes. Rather, their special properties will make possible investigations that will complement those performed with light- and electron-based instruments. 30. What does the passage mainly discuss? (a) The detail seen through a microscope (b) Sources of illumination for microscopes (c) A new kind of microscope (d) Outdated microscopic techniques 31. According to the passage, the invention of the visible-light microscope allowed scientists to (a) see viruses directly (b) develop the electron microscope late on (c) understand more about the distribution of the chemical elements (d) discover single-celled plants and animals they had never seen before 32. The word "minuscule" in line 5 s closest in meaning to (a) circular (b) dangerous (c) complex (d) tiny 33. The word "it" in line 7 refers to (a) a type of microscope (b) human perception (c) the natural world (d) light 34. Why does the author mention the visible-light microscope in the first paragraph? (a) To begin a discussion of sixteenth-century discoveries (b) To put the x-ray microscope in a historical perspective (c) To show how limited its uses are (d) To explain how it functioned 35. Why did it take so long to develop the x-ray microscope? (a) Funds for research were insufficient. (b) The source of illumination was not bright enough until recently. (c) Materials used to manufacture x-ray tubes were difficult to obtain (d) X-ray microscopes were too complicated to operate. 36. The word "enables" in line 22 is closest in meaning to (a) constitutes (b) specifies (c) expands (d) allows 37. The word "Rather" on line 28 is closest in meaning to (a) Significantly (b) Preferably (c) Somewhat (d) Instead 38. The word "those" in line 29 refers to (a) properties (b) investigations (c) microscopes (d) x-rays 39. Based on the information in the passage, what can be inferred about x-ray microscopes in the future? (a) They will probably replace electron microscopes altogether. (b) They will eventually be much cheaper to produce than they are now. (c) They will provide information not available from other kinds of microscopes. (d) They will eventually change the illumination rage that they now use. Questions 40-50 Perhaps the most striking quality of satiric literature is its freshness, its originality of perspective. Satire rarely offers original ideas. Instead, it presents the familiar in a new form. Satirists do not offer the world new philosophies. What they do is look at Line familiar conditions from a perspective that makes these conditions seem foolish, (5) harmful, or affected. Satire jars us out of complacence into a pleasantly shocked realization that many of the values we unquestioningly accept are false. Don Quixote makes chivalry seem absurd ; Brave New World ridicules the pretensions of science ; A Modest Proposal dramatizes starvation by advocating cannibalism. None of these ideas is original. Chivalry was suspect before Cervantes, humanists objected to the claims of (10) pure science before Aldous Huxley, and people were aware of famine before Swift. It was not the originality of the idea that made these satires popular. It was the manner of expression, the satiric method, that made them interesting and entertaining. Satires are read because they are aesthetically satisfying works of art, not because they are morally wholesome or ethically instructive. They are stimulating and refreshing because with (15) commonsense briskness they brush away illusions and secondhand opinions. With spontaneous irreverence, satire rearranges perspectives, scrambles familiar objects into incongruous juxtaposition, and speaks in a personal idiom instead of abstract platitude. Satire exists because there is need for it. It has lived because readers appreciate a refreshing stimulus, an irreverent reminder that they live in a world of platitudinous (20) thinking, cheap moralizing, and foolish philosophy. Satire serves to prod people into an awareness of truth, though rarely to any action on behalf of truth. Satire tends to remind people that much of what they see, hear, and read in popular media is sanctimonious, sentimental, and only partially true. Life resembles in only a slight degree the popular image of it. Soldiers rarely hold the ideals that movies attribute to (25) them, nor do ordinary citizens devote their lives to unselfish service of humanity. Intelligent people know these things but tend to forget them when they do not hear them expressed. 40. What does the passage mainly discuss? (a) Difficulties of writing satiric literature (b) Popular topics of satire (c) New philosophies emerging from satiric literature (d) Reasons for the popularity of satire 41. The word "realization" in line 6 is closest in meaning to (a) certainty (b) awareness (c) surprise (d) confusion 42. Why does the author mention Don Quixote, Brave New World, and A Modest Proposal in lines 6-8? (a) They are famous examples of satiric literature. (b) They present commonsense solutions to problems. (c) They are appropriate for readers of all ages. (d) They are books with similar stories. 43. The word "aesthetically" in line 13 is closest in meaning to (a) artistically (b) exceptionally (c) realistically (d) dependably 44. Which of the following can be found in satiric literature? (a) Newly emerging philosophies (b) Odd combinations of objects and ideas (c) Abstract discussion of morals and ethics (d) Wholesome characters who are unselfish 45. According to the passage, there is a need for satire because people need to b (a) informed about new scientific developments (b) exposed to original philosophies when they are formulated (c) reminded that popular ideas are often inaccurate (d) told how they can be of service to their communities 46. The word "refreshing" in line 19 is closest in meaning to (a) popular (b) ridiculous (c) meaningful (d) unusual 47. The word "they" in line 22 refers to (a) people (b) media (c) ideals (d) movies 48. The word "devote" in line 25 is closest in meaning to (a) distinguish (b) feel affection (c) prefer (d) dedicate 49. As a result of reading satiric literature, readers will be most likely to (a) teach themselves to write fiction (b) accept conventional points of view (c) become better informed about current affairs (d) reexamine their opinions and values 50. The various purposes of satire include all of the following EXCEPT (a) introducing readers to unfamiliar situations (b) brushing away illusions (c) reminding readers of the truth (d) exposing false values answers Test 1 1. A 2. C 3. B 4. A 5. D 6. D 7. B 8. B 9. D 10. A 11. D 12. C 13. C 14. C 15. B 16. B 17. D 18. B 19. B 20. C 21. B 22. B 23. C 24. B 25. B 26. C 27. A 28. D 29. D 30. A 31. A 32. A 33. B 34. A 35. B 36. D 37. B 38. A 39. C 40. A 41. A 42. B 43. A 44. B 45. D 46. B 47. D 48. D 49. B 50. D Test 2 1. D 2. C 3. A 4. D 5. A 6. D 7. C 8. B 9. A 10. D 11. B 12. B 13. D 14. D 15. B 16. B 17. A 18. C 19. C 20. D 21. A 22. D 23. B 24. C 25. D 26. A 27. C 28. B 29. D 30. B 31. C 32. C 33. C 34. D 35. B 36. A 37. A 38. B 39. A 40. C 41. C 42. B 43. A 44. C 45. D 46. D 47. D 48. A 49. D 50. C Test 3 1. B 2. C 3. C 4. C 5. D 6. B 7. A 8. D 9. A 10. D 11. C 12. A 13. D 14. C 15. C 16. B 17. D 18. B 19. D 20. A 21. B 22. B 23. B 24. C 25. C 26. A 27. D 28. D 29. A 30. D 31. D 32. D 33. A 34. A 35. A 36. C 37. C 38. D 39. A 40. B 41. D 42. C 43. B 44. B 45. C 46. B 47. D 48. D 49. A 50. C Test 4 1. B 2. C 3. D 4. C 5. B 6. C 7. B 8. A 9. C 10. B 11. C 12. D 13. D 14. D 15. C 16. C 17. A 18. B 19. B 20. A 21. C 22. D 23. B 24. C 25. A 26. D 27. A 28. B 29. A 30. C 31. D 32. B 33. A 34. B 35. B 36. C 37. C 38. A 39. A 40. B 41. B 42. B 43. B 44. A 45. B 46. C 47. A 48. A 49. C 50. C Test 5 1. B 2. C 3. A 4. B 5. D 6. B 7. C 8. C 9. D 10. B 11. C 12. B 13. B 14. B 15. C 16. D 17. D 18. A 19. C 20. B 21. B 22. A 23. D 24. C 25. D 26. A 27. B 28. A 29. A 30. C 31. B 32. C 33. A 34. B 35 A 36. B 37. A 38. B 39. C 40. D 41. A 42. A 43. C 44. B 45. C 46. C 47. A 48. D 49. B 50. A Test 6 1. C 2. D 3. B 4. B 5. D 6. C 7. B 8. A 9. C 10. D 11. C 12. B 13. A 14. C 15. D 16. A 17. D 18. A 19. B 20. A 21. B 22. D 23. A 24. D 25. A 26. C 27. D 28. C 29. A 30. B 31. D 32. A 33. D 34. C 35. D 36. B 37. B 38. D 39. D 40. A 41. B 42. B 43. D 44. B 45. A 46. D 47. D 48. A 49. B 50. C Test 7 1. B 2. A 3. B 4. B 5. D 6. C 7. B 8. C 9. C 10. D 11. B 12. B 13. A 14. C 15. C 16. D 17. B 18. C 19. D 20. A 21. B 22. B 23. A 24. B 25. D 26. D 27. C 28. B 29. A 30. C 31. A 32. C 33. B 34. D 35. A 36. A 37. D 38. A 39. B 40. C 41. D 42. B 43. C 44. A 45. A 46. B 47. D 48. C 49. A 50. D Test 8 1. A 2. B 3. A 4. D 5. B 6. A 7. D 8. A 9. B 10. B 11. D 12. B 13. C 14. D 15. B 16. B 17. A 18. D 19. C 20 D 21. C 22. B 23. C 24. D 25. B 26. D 27. A 28. D 29. D 30. C 31. C 32. B 33. D 34. D 35. A 36. A 37. A 38. D 39. B 40. C 41. D 42. A 43. D 44. B 45. B 46. B 47. B 48. C 49. D 50. D Test 9 1. A 2. A 3. C 4. B 5. A 6. C 7. C 8. B 9. B 10. A 11. A 12. A 13. C 14. A 15. C 16. A 17. C 18. B 19. A 20. B 21. A 22. B 23. A 24. A 25. C 26. C 27. D 28. A 29. C 30. A 31. A 32. D 33. C 34. B 35. B 36. D 37. B 38. B 39. D 40. A 41. A 42. D 43. A 44. C 45. C 46. B 47. B 48. D 49. C 50. B Test 10 1. A 2. C 3. D 4. C 5. D 6. B 7. B 8. A 9. A 10. C 11. B 12. D 13. D 14. B 15. A 16. A 17. D 18. C 19. D 20. A 21. B 22. D 23. A 24. D 25. A 26. C 27. C 28. D 29. A 30. C 31. D 32. D 33. A 34. B 35. B 36. D 37. D 38. B 39. C 40. D 41. B 42. A 43. A 44. B 45. C 46. D 47. A 48. D 49. D 50. B
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