I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Malaysia's Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad has been retired. But he didn't go quietly. In his final speech, he blamed the Jewish people for the problems between Israel and the Palestinians. "The Jews have taken land of the Muslims," he said. "What if part of America was given to the Jews as Israel? Would the Americans let it happen? Of course not." His words angered many western governments, but Mahathir doesn't care. "I like to speak my mind," the 77-year-old explained. "Sometimes people don't like it. But that is what leadership is all about." Loved by some and disliked by others, his 22 years in power have seen great changes in Malaysia. He has taken it from being one of Asia's poorest countries to the world's 18th largest trading nation. It is also a peaceful country with native Malaysians living alongside minority groups. Chinese make up a quarter of the population, while a further 7.4 percent are of Indian origin. Teenage girls wearingMuslim1headscarves happily walk around large stores as ethnic Chinese playmah-jong2in nearby cafes. But Mahathir has made enemies at home and abroad and some people will be glad he has gone. The US was unhappy when he often blamed it for globalization. Meanwhile, critics say that he has limited the freedom of the Malaysian people in order to stay in control of the country. Despite this, he is a hero to leaders in Southeast Asia as well as those in theIslamic3world. "He marked out the path to success for developing nations in the region to follow," said Thai President Thaksin Shinawatra. Now he just wants to enjoy his retirement and insists that he will not take on a special role in government. "I'm a nobody," he said. But many Malaysians do not agree with this. Notes: 1 Muslim adj. 2 mah-jong n. 3 Islamic adj. Choose the best answers according to the above: Question: The best title of this passage would be _ . Options: A: A Religion Enthusiast B: Mahathir's Political Policy C: Mahathir Is Malaysia D: Hero of the World
C
(Question)
I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: When I was a child, our dining room had two kinds of chairs--two large ones with arm rests and four small ones without. The larger ones stood at the ends of the table, the smaller ones on the sides. Mom and Dad sat in the big chairs, except when one of us was away; then Mom would sit in one of the smaller chairs. Dad always sat at the end, at the "head" of the table. Sitting where he did, Dad was framed by the window through which the yard could be seen with its trees and grass. His chair was not just a place for him at the table; it was a place in which he was situated against the yard and trees. It was the holy and protected place that was his, and ours through him. After Dad retired, he and Mom moved out into a small flat. When they came to visit me at their old house. Dad still sat at the end of the table though the table was no longer his but mine. Only with my marriage to Barbara, did I hear a voice questioning the arrangement. She requested, gently but firmly, that I sit at the head of the table in our home. I realized then that I was head of the family, but I also felt unwilling to introduce such a change. How would I feel sitting in that "head" place in my Dad's presence? And how would he handle it? I was to find out on the occasion of our youngest child's first birthday. Mom and Dad arrived for lunch, and went into the dining room. Dad moved toward his usual seat in front of the window. Before he could get around the side of the table, I took a deep breath and said, "Dad, this is going to be your place, next to Mom, on the side." He stopped, looked at me and then sat down. I felt sad, and angry at Barbara for pushing me to do this. It would have been easy to say, "My mistake, Dad. Sit where you always sit." But I didn't. When he and Mom were seated, Barbara and I took our places. I don't know how Dad felt. I do know that, though removed from his usual place, he continued to share his best self with us, telling stories of his childhood and youth to the delight of his grandchildren. As I served the... Question: What happened during the meal after the family had all taken their new seats? Options: A: The writer's children removed their grandfather from his usual place. B: The writer's father didn't appear to mind where he sat. C: The writer's father shared his favorite dishes with the grandchildren. D: They became tense and nervous about their future as a family.
(Answer)
B
Ques: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: The works of Shakespeare and Wordsworth are boosters to the brain and better therapy than some guide books, researchers say this week. Scientists, psychologists and English academics at Liverpool University have found that reading the works of the Bard and other classical writers has a beneficial effect on the mind, catches the reader's attention and triggers moments of self-reflection. Using scanners , they monitored the brain activity of volunteers as they read works by William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, T.S Eliot and others. They then "translated" the original texts into more "straightforward", modern language and again monitored the readers' brains as they read the words. Scans showed that the more "challenging" essays and poetry set off far more electrical activity in the brain than the much plainer versions. Scientists were able to study the brain activity as it responded to each word and record how it was "activated" as the readers encountered unusual words, surprising phrases or difficult sentence structure. This "activation" of the mind lasts longer, shifting the brain to a higher speed, encouraging further reading. The research also found that reading poetry, in particular, increases activity in the right hemisphere of the brain, helping the reader to reflect on their own experiences, which they compare with what they have read. This, according to the researchers, meant that the classic works were more useful than guide books. Philip Davis, an English professor believes "The research shows the power of literature to shift thinking patterns, to create new thoughts, shapes and connections in the young and adults alike." Question: What is the possible benefit of reading classic works according to the study? Options: A: It would help increase the sale of Shakespeare plays. B: It helps readers learn more difficult grammar. C: It inspires regular readers to think out of the box. D: It forces readers to train the left hemisphere of their brain.
Ans:
C