CU AAT Verbal

1. The article made such a ______ argument that I ultimately threw it away, unable to follow the author from one point to another.
2. Since she was usually such a______ driver, I was shocked to hear that she’d gotten a ticket for speeding.
3. Any world class athlete must possess numerous physical gifts, but also must have the______ to keep working past the obstacles of pain, injury, or defeat.
4. The honeymooning couple had expected a______ hotel based on the tour company’s advertisements, but were disappointed to arrive at a shabby, rundown place.
5. The______ voice of the opera star bile the auditorium even without a microphone, leaving the audience in awe of his ______ performance.
6. I know I was coming to class late, but I don’t think the professor had to______ me in front of my classmates, especially since he didn’t bother to listen to the______ explanation I had to offer, that I’d been in a car accident.
7. I felt the cost of the car was______, but my friends insisted that the long life and low gas mileage would be sufficient for the up-front expense.
8. The young reporter believed he had turned in an extremely______ article, but the veteran editor quickly recognized it to be______ and full of cliches.
9. The medical student’s drive to succeed was so______ that he would______ all extracurricular activities and socializing in order to continue studying.
10. The young actress was so overwhelmed and______ in the face of her first large crowd that she had to be______ out on stage by the director.
        There was a time when losing a part of your body was irreversible. Today this is no longer true. If a limb of yours is severed in an accident there is a possibility that doctors may be able to reattach it to your body This amazing feat is accomplished through microsurgery.

        This technique is quite new. One of the problems faced by the doctors who began this procedure was to get instruments enough. They needed very ........11.......... thread. They also needed very small and sharp needles. They needed this special equipment so that they would not damage the blood vessels and nerve fibers when they sewed them.

        Microsurgeons operate using microscopes. The ..........12.......... microscopes were fairly crude. The newer ones have been highly refined, allowing ..........13............ much greater flexibility. Some of the more recently developed microscopes even contain cameras so that the operation may be viewed by students and other interested persons.

        Before doctors were willing to operate on human beings they perfected their technique on ...........14.............. . Monkey’s fingers and rabbits’ ears were used. Rabbits’ ears were especially good for .........15.......... The blood vessels in the ears were about the same size as the smallest human blood vessels. This painstaking preparation is still required today.


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        As a Hong Kong native who has studied in North America, I am sometimes asked whether I am an individualist or a collectivist. My North American and British friends consider me a collectivist. In their eyes, I seldom contradict people and I’m rarely assertive. My decision seem to give consideration to my family members and relatives. But my extended Chinese family sees me as an individualist.

        On a vacation with 10 relatives, I insisted on us each going our own ways – to shop, to eat, to tour buildings as we wished. I didn’t want my preference for tranquility to cut short someone’s shopping trip. They, however, found less enjoyment in where they went than in experiencing things together. Who am I? Am I both individualist and collectivist? Or neither?


16. The effect of the word “insisted” in line 5 is that of
17. The questions in line 8 function primarily to
        The most important thing that the atomic bomb taught us is not expressible in a formula. It is a simple fact, which we are the first human beings to know. The world is not only perishable, everyone always knew that, but human beings can destroy it with a flick of a finger. Looming behind the arms race is a bad piece of new knowledge. There are now enough nuclear weapons in the arsenals of the world to kill every human being ten times over. Human beings are not the only ones to die; all the bears, cats, dogs, spiders and rats would die too. Perhaps a few cockroaches would survive. But a world inhabited only by a handful of roaches may not be the one God had in mind when he created Eden and placed a man and a woman in it.

18. The phrase “flick of a finger” in line 3 serves to
19. The author mentions “cockroaches” in line 6 in order to be
        Under existing state law, every adult in California who is not a convicted felon, narcotics addict, or mental patient, as specified, has the right to purchase pistols, revolvers, and other firearms capable of being concealed upon the person (handguns) and to keep them in his or her home without a license or permit. A proposal has been introduced to change the present law.

        This measure generally would require owners of handguns to register them with the Department of Justice on or before November 2, 1983. It would restrict the number of handguns in California by (1) allowing the Department of Justice to issue registration cards only for handguns registered by November 2, 1953 (with specified exceptions), (2) specifying that an individual may register only one handgun purchased between January 1, 1982. and April 30, 1983, (3) restricting the importation of handguns into the state, and (4) prohibiting the purchase of handguns by mail.

        Each applicant for a handgun registration card would be required to pay a fee to cover various administrative costs incurred by the state in implementing this measure. In addition, the measure would authorize local law enforcement agencies to charge fees in order to offset administrative costs incurred as a result of activities such as processing handgun transfer applications and certificates of replacement.

        The Department of Motors Vehicles would be required to revise its driver’s license and identification card applications to include a statement indicating that the importation of unregistered handguns into California is prohibited.

        The measure would also establish procedures that could be used to transfer handgun ownership. Such transfers could be arranged by private individuals or licensed dealers. In addition, the measure would establish procedures that could be used to replace registered handguns or register handguns inherited upon the death of the previous owner. The existing system, under which licensed handgun dealers register handgun sales with the Department of Justice, would be discontinued. In addition, law enforcement agencies would be prohibited from selling surrendered handguns at public auctions, and instead would be required to destroy any such handguns that could not be returned to their registered owners or retained and used for military or law enforcement purposes.


20. The title below that best expresses the ideas of this passage is___________.
21. Which of the following statements are true?

I. An alien may purchase a pistol in California at the present time.
II. Under the proposed law, guns may be purchased by mail.
III. Under existing law, law enforcement agencies may auction off confiscated weapons.
22. Under the proposed legislation, registration of weapons would be handled by the___________.
23. Under the proposed law, an individual may___________.
        A lengthy investigation of the hunting tactics and feeding habits of sharks by a research team at the Eniwetok Marine Biological and Hawaii Marine Laboratories indicates that olfaction plays a key role in triggering the hunting response of sharks and in guiding them to their prey.

        The sharks also demonstrated olfactory preferences in the presence of a variety of baits. A tiger shark, for example, was more responsive to extracts from moist of oily-fleshed fish, such as grouper, tuna, and eel, than to that of dry-fleshed snappers. It was also found that some sharks were particularly stimulated to the chase by odors given off by frightened prey.

        Test conducted with human blood showed that, when placed on shark-infested waters, “within one or two days after collection, 3.0 ml of the suspension usually produced a moderate or strong attraction response with the usual behavior components: excited circling, swirling and hunting,” according to Dr. Albert L. Tester, Professor of Zoology, University of Hawaii, who directed the shark studies. Dr. Tester also reported in Pacific Science that their observations suggest that “decomposed human blood contains a component that is repellent” to certain sharks.

        In an earlier report, William Travis stated in the New Scientist that most sharks find human flesh unpalatable. The consensus regarding sharks was that, of the more than 100 species, only six justify the label “man killer.” These were the tiger shark, great white shark, mako, grey and brown nursehound, and hammerhead. Of these, only the mako, and great white shark are normally found much beyond warm, tropical waters.

        Travis also subscribes to the thesis that most sharks are cowardly, and that a potential prey that shows fight is usually unmolested. At the same time he warned that an unrhythmic splashing or kicking in the water would create spasmodic shock waves that would be interpreted by sharks “as evidence of living creature injured or in difficulties --- a situation which they, as scavengers, would be quick to exploit.”

        Dr. Tester’s group, which conducted its experiments with both captive sharks held in large, seminatural ponds, and free sharks inhabiting the lagoon of Eniwetok Atoll, found that for some sharks, and on some occasions, human sweat contains a component which can function as a shark repellent.

        For those persons who swim in waters where sharks are present, there is comparatively little reassurance in either the Travis or Tester reports. While the “usual” behavior of “most” sharks appears to follow a certain degree of predictability, the “unusual” instances are too common to justify regarding sharks as other than dangerous.


24. The title that best expresses the ideas of this passage is__________.
25. Decomposed human blood acts on sharks as a(n) __________.
26. Which of the following statements is true?
27. In the presence of a variety of baits, sharks rely on their__________.
28. Travis believes that most sharks are cowardly because__________.
        The problem of our age is the administration of wealth, so that the ties of brotherhood may still bind together the rich and poor in harmonious relationship. The conditions of human life have not only been changed, but revolutionized within the past few hundred years. In former days there was little difference between the dwelling, dress, food and environment of the chief and those of his retainers. The contrast between the palace of the millionaire and the cottage of the laborer with us today measures the change which has come with civilization.

        This change, however, is not to be deplored, but welcomed as highly beneficial. It is well, may, essential for the progress of the race that the houses of some should be homes for all that is highest and best in literature and the arts, and for all the refinements of civilization, rather than that none should be so. Much better this great irregularity than universal squalor. Without wealth there can be no Maecenas [Note: a rich Roman patron of the arts]...

        We start, then with a condition of affairs under which the best interests of the race are promoted, but which inevitably gives wealth to the few. Thus far, accepting conditions as they exist, the situation can be surveyed and pronounced good.

        The question then arises – and, if the foregoing be correct, it is the only question with which we have to deal – What is the proper mode of administering wealth after the laws upon which civilization is founded have thrown it into the hands of the few? And it is of this great question that I believe I offer the true solution. It will be understood that fortunes are here spoken of, not moderate sums saved by many years of effort, the returns from which are required for the comfortable maintenance and education of families. This is not wealth, but only competence, which it should be the aim of all to acquire.

        There are but three modes in which surplus wealth can be disposed of. It can be left to the families of the descendants; or it can be bequeathed for public purposes; or, finally, it can be administered during their lives by its possessors. Under the first and second modes most of the wealth of the world that has reached the few has hitherto been applied. Let us in turn consider each of these modes. The first is the most injudicious. In monarchical countries, the estates and the greatest portion of the wealth are left to the first son. The condition of this class in Europe today teaches the futility of such hopes or ambitions. The successors have become impoverished through their follies or from the fall in the value of land... Why should men leave great fortunes to their children? If it is done from affection, is it not misguided affection? As to the second mode, that of leaving wealth at death for public uses, it may be said that this is only a means for the disposal of wealth, provided a man is content to wait until he is dead before it becomes of much good in the world. .... . The cases are not few in which the real object sought by the testator is not attained, nor are they few in which his real wishes are thwarted...

        There remains, then, only one mode using great fortunes: but in this way we have the true antidote for the temporary unequal distribution of wealth, the reconciliation of the rich and the poor– a reign of harmony –another ideal, differing, indeed from that of the Communist in requiring only the further evolution of existing conditions, not the total overthrow of our civilization. It is founded upon the present most intense individualism, and the race is prepared to put it in practice by degrees whenever it pleases. Under its sway we shall have an ideal state, in which the surplus wealth of the few will become, in the best sense, the property of the many, because administered for the common good, and this wealth, passing through the hands of the few, can be made a much more potent force for the elevation of our race than if it had been distributed in small sums to the people themselves. Even the poorest can be made to see this, and to agree that great sums gathered by some of their fellow citizens and spent for public purposes, from which the masses reap the principal benefit, are more valuable to them than if scattered among them through the course of many years in trifling amounts.


29. According to the passage which is true of the relationship between the chief and his subjects in the past?
30. The word “irregularity” in line 10 refers to
31. The author believes that the changes in wealth distribution is
32. According to the author, competence can be acquired through
33. The author believes that it is unwise to bequeath great fortunes to descendants because
34. There is no one who denies that they work hard to make a good living. NO error.
35. The second test in algebra was the toughest when compared with the first exam. NO error.
36. The butterfly’s wing made whispering sounds as the creature rose beautiful to the blue sky. NO error.
37. In politics, the variance of opinions are often a source of conflict among members of the same political party. NO error.
38. My father will understand that I will not clean the yard if I went to the basketball game. NO error.
39. Most of the actors agreed that his performances were better in the second act. NO error.
40. It is the responsibility of a sports agent to obtain the biggest salary for each players’ contract. NO error.
41. The process of making chocolate bars involves melting the cocoa beans, adding milk, and the refrigeration of the candy. NO error.
The following sentence tests correctness and effectiveness of expressions. The underlined part of the sentence is either incorrect or ineffective. Choose the best set of words given to replace the underlined part. Then blacken 1,2,3,4 or 5 on the answer sheet.

42. The position of the planets is said to affect human behavior and emotion significantly; he may even be responsible for decisions made by whole groups of people.
43. The development of new employees giving the greatest satisfaction to managers in most companies.
44. Here was a person who wanted to write a book about fitness, yet whom was extremely obese.
45. Pilots in all branches of the military must be highly skilled, but Naval aviators are the ones that must complete night carrier landings.
46. The speed and beauty of the new roadster accounts for its popularity with car enthusiasts.
47. The newspaper said that during the final match Martina was trying to overcome the pain from her sprained ankle, but she could not do so.
48. The search for better transportation methods is a financial issue with the more costly solution usually the best.
49. Despite certain nuances, words can often be very similar to one another; these antonyms can reflect the various methods people use to express themselves.
50. The movement of the race horses was thunderously rapid as they ran down the track, trying desperately to please their rider.
51. Pride is a vicious thing to possess, for it effects you even when you don’t really care about the thing that’s causing the frustration.
        (1) Different periods are singled out by movie buffs as the “Golden Age of Films.” (2) For some, Hollywood has never equaled the great movies of the silent era. (3) Other prefer the brilliant comedies and romances of the 1930s. (4) An all time favorite is It Happened One Night. (5) However, few people pick a period in the last fifty years. (6) Clearly, the quality of movies has declined since the late 1940s for a number of reasons.

        (7) First, film studios and producers have little control over what will happen to their movies. (8) As a result of a Supreme Court decision, studios can no longer own chains of movie theaters and can no longer guarantee a certain number of rentals and showings for a particular film. (9) Consequently, any given movie can easily sink into the market without a trace. (10) The money spent on such a movie is a total loss. (11) As a result, producers, who are naturally more concerned with making money than with making art, have become less willing to invest in any project that does not promise to be financially worthwhile. (12) The result is fear of the new. (13) More than ever, the successful films that are produced are turned into formulas and are copied until the public becomes bored with the model. (14) The result is a pattern that does little to raise the quality of new films.

        (15) One might think that the decline of the studios has been a boon to independent filmmakers. (16) Independent artists are faced with monumental difficulties in raising money for a project. (17) Unless an “indie” film has a successful director or a popular star, the project can be stalled forever by timid financial backers.


52. Which of the following is the best revision of sentence 1?
53. To improve the coherence of paragraph 1, which of the following sentences should be deleted?
54. What is the best way to combine these sentences from paragraph 2?

Consequently, any given movie can easily sink into the market without a trace. The money spent on such a movie is a total loss.
55. Which of the following revisions of sentence 16 provides the smoothest ordering of supporting information in paragraph 3?
CU AAT Verbal
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