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.
What is the main purpose of the questions in sentences 10–12?
- A. To reveal the narrator's sense of isolation from family members other than her father
- B. To suggest the narrator's uncertainty about whether the radio will work
- C. To demonstrate the knowledge of electric principles required to operate the radio
- D. To provide examples of the kinds of messages the narrator and her father obtained
Correct Answer & Rationale
Correct Answer: D
The main purpose of the questions in sentences 10–12 is to provide examples of the types of messages that the narrator and her father received, illustrating their communication and connection through the radio. Option A misinterprets the focus of the questions, as they do not primarily express isolation but rather highlight shared experiences. Option B suggests uncertainty about the radio's functionality, which is not the central theme of the questions. Option C incorrectly emphasizes technical knowledge, while the questions are more about the content of the messages rather than the mechanics of operating the radio.
The main purpose of the questions in sentences 10–12 is to provide examples of the types of messages that the narrator and her father received, illustrating their communication and connection through the radio. Option A misinterprets the focus of the questions, as they do not primarily express isolation but rather highlight shared experiences. Option B suggests uncertainty about the radio's functionality, which is not the central theme of the questions. Option C incorrectly emphasizes technical knowledge, while the questions are more about the content of the messages rather than the mechanics of operating the radio.
Other Related Questions
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
- A. American football has not changed much since the first intercollegiate football game was played.
- B. Most early football players did not know how to throw a football properly.
- C. Rutgers' current football team is better than Princeton's.
- D. The name Scarlet Knights most likely refers to clothing worn by Rutgers players in the 1869 game.
Correct Answer & Rationale
Correct Answer: D
The inference about the name Scarlet Knights likely relates to clothing worn by Rutgers players in the 1869 game, as historical context suggests team names often reflect uniforms or school colors. Option A is incorrect; while some aspects of American football have evolved, the statement oversimplifies the sport's development over time. Option B lacks support from the passage, as it does not provide evidence regarding the skills of early players. Option C is subjective and cannot be inferred without specific performance data comparing the two teams.
The inference about the name Scarlet Knights likely relates to clothing worn by Rutgers players in the 1869 game, as historical context suggests team names often reflect uniforms or school colors. Option A is incorrect; while some aspects of American football have evolved, the statement oversimplifies the sport's development over time. Option B lacks support from the passage, as it does not provide evidence regarding the skills of early players. Option C is subjective and cannot be inferred without specific performance data comparing the two teams.
In context, the last sentence of Passage 2 is best understood to:
- A. argue in favor of a restrained response
- B. make light of a difficult situation
- C. challenge an established belief
- D. emphasize the severity of a transgression
Correct Answer & Rationale
Correct Answer: D
The last sentence of Passage 2 emphasizes the seriousness of the transgression, highlighting its impact and consequences. This aligns with option D, as it conveys a strong sense of urgency and gravity regarding the situation. Option A misinterprets the tone, as a restrained response would downplay the issue rather than underscore its severity. Option B suggests a light-hearted approach, which contradicts the serious nature of the transgression discussed. Lastly, option C implies a challenge to beliefs, but the sentence focuses more on the severity of actions rather than questioning established norms.
The last sentence of Passage 2 emphasizes the seriousness of the transgression, highlighting its impact and consequences. This aligns with option D, as it conveys a strong sense of urgency and gravity regarding the situation. Option A misinterprets the tone, as a restrained response would downplay the issue rather than underscore its severity. Option B suggests a light-hearted approach, which contradicts the serious nature of the transgression discussed. Lastly, option C implies a challenge to beliefs, but the sentence focuses more on the severity of actions rather than questioning established norms.
The third paragraph (sentences 5–8) indicates that in the past, the narrator's father had
- A. survived a shipwreck
- B. served as a soldier
- C. failed to become a professional radio operator
- D. learned Morse code from his own father
Correct Answer & Rationale
Correct Answer: B
The third paragraph reveals that the narrator's father had military experience, indicating he served as a soldier. This aligns with option B. Option A, "survived a shipwreck," is incorrect as the text does not mention any maritime incidents. Option C, "failed to become a professional radio operator," is not supported by the text, which does not discuss any failures related to this profession. Option D, "learned Morse code from his own father," is also inaccurate since the paragraph does not reference any familial teaching of Morse code. Each incorrect option fails to connect with the details provided in the paragraph.
The third paragraph reveals that the narrator's father had military experience, indicating he served as a soldier. This aligns with option B. Option A, "survived a shipwreck," is incorrect as the text does not mention any maritime incidents. Option C, "failed to become a professional radio operator," is not supported by the text, which does not discuss any failures related to this profession. Option D, "learned Morse code from his own father," is also inaccurate since the paragraph does not reference any familial teaching of Morse code. Each incorrect option fails to connect with the details provided in the paragraph.
Ecologist Frank Ortega warned that the state's decision to ______ the rigid standards for disposal of toxic wastes would be construed as a signal that sloppiness in handling such wastes will be tolerated.
- A. enforce
- B. codify
- C. relax
- D. publicize
Correct Answer & Rationale
Correct Answer: C
The choice to relax the rigid standards for disposal of toxic wastes suggests a reduction in strictness, which aligns with Ortega's warning about sloppiness being tolerated. Option A, enforce, implies strengthening regulations, which contradicts Ortega's concern. Option B, codify, refers to formally establishing rules, indicating a commitment to standards rather than a reduction. Option D, publicize, focuses on making information known, which does not relate to the standards themselves. Thus, only "relax" accurately captures the potential easing of regulations that Ortega warns against.
The choice to relax the rigid standards for disposal of toxic wastes suggests a reduction in strictness, which aligns with Ortega's warning about sloppiness being tolerated. Option A, enforce, implies strengthening regulations, which contradicts Ortega's concern. Option B, codify, refers to formally establishing rules, indicating a commitment to standards rather than a reduction. Option D, publicize, focuses on making information known, which does not relate to the standards themselves. Thus, only "relax" accurately captures the potential easing of regulations that Ortega warns against.