This passage is from a 2019 novel. The narrator is reflecting on a time when she was about ten years old. A ham (amateur) radio is a device for exchanging messages and requires a license to operate. (1) One day, my father brought home a pile of the parts needed to build a ham radio and asked if I wanted to help him put it together. (2) It took us a week, and we built it at our kitchen table, which meant that for that week we ate dinner on our laps in our living room. (3) After dinner, my father went straight to the kitchen table where he'd left a mess of wire and cables and vacuum tubes, and got to work. (4) I started by helping my mother clean up, but then I went over to him, leaning over the part of the radio he was working on to study the diagrams and assembly instructions. (5) Once the receiver was built, we took it into the garage and built a simple transmitter. (6) Then we studied for the radio license, quizzing each other on Morse code and electrical principles and radio wave characteristics every night. (7) My father already knew all of it from the war. (8) He'd been a radio operator as a soldier, and he told me how radio waves could go far, far out into space and how a few years ago two radio operators from opposite sides of the world had sent messages to each other by bouncing them off the moon. (9) After we received our radio licenses, we spent many nights sitting side by side in the garage, picking up radio stations and messages from other amateur radio operators. (10) There were so many messages floating around, waiting to be picked up: Are you lonely? (11) How are you? (12) What's the weather like there? (13) There were reports of shipwrecks, and messages from as far away as Canada, and we decoded each message as it arrived. (14) Nowadays, when communication is so instantaneous, I cannot help remembering with nostalgia how my father and I turned the knobs to the contraption we had built as the messages came in through our complicated machine of vacuum tubing and plumbing wire. (15) We recorded the taps as they came in—and I marveled that each tap traveled only a little bit slower than the speed of light. (16) Tap tap tap came the pulses of radio waves into our earphones, and I transcribed the taps as fast as I could into letters, watching them gather into words and then sentences. (17) It was the closest thing to performing magic that I could imagine: manipulating the radio waves that were all around us to talk to someone across the world.
Which choice best summarizes the passage?
- A. The narrator receives a ham radio from her father, then begins using it to exchange messages with another child.
- B. The narrator's father is interrupted as he's putting together a ham radio, but later returns to the project and eventually completes it.
- C. The narrator's father brings home the parts needed to build a ham radio, but he and the narrator struggle to assemble them.
- D. The narrator and her father put together a ham radio and get radio licenses, then use the radio to receive messages.
Correct Answer & Rationale
Correct Answer: D
Option D effectively encapsulates the passage by highlighting both the assembly of the ham radio and the subsequent achievement of obtaining radio licenses, emphasizing the active engagement of both the narrator and her father in communication. Option A is too narrow, focusing solely on the exchange of messages without mentioning the assembly or licensing process. Option B inaccurately suggests that the father is interrupted, which does not capture the collaborative effort in building the radio. Option C implies struggle without acknowledging the successful completion and use of the radio, missing the positive outcome of their efforts.
Option D effectively encapsulates the passage by highlighting both the assembly of the ham radio and the subsequent achievement of obtaining radio licenses, emphasizing the active engagement of both the narrator and her father in communication. Option A is too narrow, focusing solely on the exchange of messages without mentioning the assembly or licensing process. Option B inaccurately suggests that the father is interrupted, which does not capture the collaborative effort in building the radio. Option C implies struggle without acknowledging the successful completion and use of the radio, missing the positive outcome of their efforts.
Other Related Questions
The main idea of Passage 1 is that academic plagiarism is:
- A. becoming a primary concern among committees that review scholars' work
- B. likely more common than it seems because suspected cases often go unreported
- C. usually undetected because the stolen materials tend to be seen by few people
- D. evolving into a source of widespread disgust among scholars at universities
Correct Answer & Rationale
Correct Answer: B
The main idea of Passage 1 emphasizes the prevalence of academic plagiarism and its underreporting, making option B the most accurate choice. This highlights the hidden nature of the issue, suggesting that many cases go unrecognized. Option A focuses on the concern of committees, which is too narrow and does not capture the broader implications of plagiarism. Option C suggests that plagiarism is undetected due to limited visibility, but it overlooks the critical aspect of unreported cases. Option D implies a shift in emotional response among scholars, which, while relevant, does not address the fundamental issue of prevalence and reporting.
The main idea of Passage 1 emphasizes the prevalence of academic plagiarism and its underreporting, making option B the most accurate choice. This highlights the hidden nature of the issue, suggesting that many cases go unrecognized. Option A focuses on the concern of committees, which is too narrow and does not capture the broader implications of plagiarism. Option C suggests that plagiarism is undetected due to limited visibility, but it overlooks the critical aspect of unreported cases. Option D implies a shift in emotional response among scholars, which, while relevant, does not address the fundamental issue of prevalence and reporting.
The author of Passage 2 would likely respond to the actions attributed to 'academia' in the fifth sentence of Passage 1 ('academia...complaints') by asserting that:
- A. these actions are consistent with the approach common in publishing
- B. academic plagiarism has usually been misrepresented in surveys
- C. universities increasingly treat plagiarism as a serious offense
- D. colleges should provide amnesty to researchers accused of plagiarism
Correct Answer & Rationale
Correct Answer: C
The assertion in Passage 2 likely aligns with the view that universities are taking a stronger stance against plagiarism, reflecting a growing seriousness about academic integrity. This perspective supports option C, as it highlights an evolving attitude within academia. Option A misrepresents the author's likely stance, as it suggests acceptance of the status quo in publishing rather than a critique of it. Option B incorrectly implies that the author believes surveys misrepresent plagiarism, which may not be the focus of their argument. Option D suggests a leniency that contradicts the seriousness implied in Passage 2, as it undermines the accountability that academia is increasingly emphasizing.
The assertion in Passage 2 likely aligns with the view that universities are taking a stronger stance against plagiarism, reflecting a growing seriousness about academic integrity. This perspective supports option C, as it highlights an evolving attitude within academia. Option A misrepresents the author's likely stance, as it suggests acceptance of the status quo in publishing rather than a critique of it. Option B incorrectly implies that the author believes surveys misrepresent plagiarism, which may not be the focus of their argument. Option D suggests a leniency that contradicts the seriousness implied in Passage 2, as it undermines the accountability that academia is increasingly emphasizing.
Which of the following statements does the passage most directly counter?
- A. Having a non-arts job stifles and detracts from an artist’s creative work
- B. For people working in non-arts professions, art is more than just an entertaining distraction
- C. The poetry of William Carlos Williams exemplifies autobiographical poetry
- D. The public’s interest in the arts has declined over the last century
Correct Answer & Rationale
Correct Answer: A
The passage argues that engaging in non-arts jobs can enhance rather than hinder an artist's creativity, directly countering the notion that such jobs stifle artistic work. Option B suggests that art serves a significant purpose for those in non-arts professions, which aligns with the idea that diverse experiences can enrich creativity. Option C discusses William Carlos Williams' poetry style, which is unrelated to the impact of non-arts jobs on creativity. Option D addresses public interest in the arts, a separate issue that does not connect to the effects of non-arts employment on artists.
The passage argues that engaging in non-arts jobs can enhance rather than hinder an artist's creativity, directly countering the notion that such jobs stifle artistic work. Option B suggests that art serves a significant purpose for those in non-arts professions, which aligns with the idea that diverse experiences can enrich creativity. Option C discusses William Carlos Williams' poetry style, which is unrelated to the impact of non-arts jobs on creativity. Option D addresses public interest in the arts, a separate issue that does not connect to the effects of non-arts employment on artists.
As used in sentence 17, 'manipulating' most nearly means
- A. cheating
- B. using
- C. plotting with
- D. carrying out
Correct Answer & Rationale
Correct Answer: B
In sentence 17, 'manipulating' refers to skillfully handling or controlling something, which aligns closely with the meaning of 'using.' This term emphasizes the active engagement and application of a tool or concept. Option A, 'cheating,' implies deceit and is unrelated to the neutral connotation of 'manipulating.' Option C, 'plotting with,' suggests a conspiratorial context, which does not fit the original intent. Option D, 'carrying out,' while somewhat related, lacks the nuance of skillful application inherent in 'using.' Thus, 'using' is the most accurate interpretation in this context.
In sentence 17, 'manipulating' refers to skillfully handling or controlling something, which aligns closely with the meaning of 'using.' This term emphasizes the active engagement and application of a tool or concept. Option A, 'cheating,' implies deceit and is unrelated to the neutral connotation of 'manipulating.' Option C, 'plotting with,' suggests a conspiratorial context, which does not fit the original intent. Option D, 'carrying out,' while somewhat related, lacks the nuance of skillful application inherent in 'using.' Thus, 'using' is the most accurate interpretation in this context.