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Ehime Entrance English study materials
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Ehime Entrance English practice questions

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Question 1Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

Read this short passage: "Kenji opened the letter twice before he finally read it. The words were simple, but his hands would not stay still. Outside, the ferry horn sounded, and he knew he had only ten minutes." What does the detail about the ferry horn mainly suggest about Kenji's situation?

  1. He has already missed the ferry.
  2. He is writing a letter to the ferry company.
  3. He is under time pressure and must act soon. Correct answer.
  4. He works on the ferry every morning.

Explanation

The narrator states that Kenji has only ten minutes left, so the horn functions as a reminder of a deadline rather than a background noise. Details in a narrative passage often carry this kind of implied meaning, and here the time limit creates pressure.

Question 2Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage says: "Mika packed her bag slowly, checking each item against a list she had rewritten three times." Which word best describes Mika's manner in this sentence?

  1. Careless
  2. Hurried
  3. Methodical Correct answer.
  4. Indifferent

Explanation

Checking items against a list that was rewritten several times shows careful, organized behavior, which is what "methodical" means. The adverb "slowly" also supports deliberate rather than rushed action.

Question 3Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

Read this passage: "The town's only bookstore closed in March. By summer, the nearest place to buy a novel was forty minutes away by bus. Some residents began swapping books at the community center, and the shelves there filled faster than anyone had expected." What is the main idea of the passage?

  1. A loss led residents to create an alternative. Correct answer.
  2. Bus travel in the town is too expensive.
  3. Bookstores are always more popular in summer.
  4. Community centers should sell novels.

Explanation

The passage first reports the bookstore's closure, then shows residents responding by starting a book exchange. Main-idea questions ask for the overall point that ties the details together, and here that point is a community response to a loss.

Question 4Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

In a passage, a character says: "I suppose the plan is fine, if you enjoy surprises." What does the speaker most likely mean?

  1. The speaker is excited about surprises.
  2. The speaker thinks the plan is well prepared.
  3. The speaker doubts the plan is reliable. Correct answer.
  4. The speaker fully supports the plan.

Explanation

The conditional phrase "if you enjoy surprises" implies that the plan leaves too much uncertain. This is irony: the surface words look like mild agreement, but the real attitude is doubt.

Question 5Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage states: "Unlike her brother, who read every review before choosing a film, Yui picked whatever was showing when she arrived at the cinema." What contrast does the passage draw?

  1. Yui reads reviews but her brother does not.
  2. Yui is spontaneous while her brother researches carefully. Correct answer.
  3. Yui dislikes films that her brother recommends.
  4. Yui goes to the cinema more often than her brother.

Explanation

The phrase "unlike her brother" sets up a comparison, and the two behaviors are described: he checks reviews in advance, while she decides on arrival. The contrast is between planning and spontaneity.

Question 6Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

Read the sentence from a passage: "The old bridge, repaired only last year, was closed again after the storm." What does the phrase "repaired only last year" add to the sentence?

  1. It shows that the closure was unexpected. Correct answer.
  2. It explains why the storm was so strong.
  3. It states who paid for the repairs.
  4. It proves that the bridge is very old.

Explanation

The phrase is set between commas as extra information, and it highlights a contrast: the bridge was recently fixed, so closing it again is surprising. Recognizing such inserted phrases helps readers catch the writer's emphasis.

Question 7Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A notice in a passage reads: "Library users are asked to return items to the front desk rather than the outside box during the holiday period." According to the notice, what should users do during the holiday?

  1. Keep borrowed items until the holiday ends.
  2. Return items to the front desk. Correct answer.
  3. Ask staff to collect items from home.
  4. Use the outside box as usual.

Explanation

The notice contrasts two locations and asks users to choose the front desk instead of the outside box. The phrase "rather than" marks the rejected option, so the instruction is to use the desk.

Question 8Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage describes a festival: "For three days the streets belong to the dancers, and shopkeepers step outside to watch, their work forgotten." What impression of the festival does the writer create?

  1. It is a lively event that involves the whole town. Correct answer.
  2. It is a small event attended mainly by tourists.
  3. It is a stressful time for local businesses.
  4. It is a serious religious ceremony with no music.

Explanation

The streets belonging to dancers and shopkeepers leaving their work both suggest that the event takes over the town and includes ordinary residents. The writer's word choices create a festive, communal impression.

Question 9Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

Read this passage: "When the company introduced a four-day week, managers expected productivity to fall. Six months later, output had risen slightly, and sick days had dropped by a third. The change was made permanent." Which statement is best supported by the passage?

  1. Employees worked longer hours each day.
  2. Managers had predicted a positive result.
  3. The trial produced better results than expected. Correct answer.
  4. The company later returned to a five-day week.

Explanation

The passage sets up an expectation (productivity would fall) and then reports the opposite outcome, which supports the idea that results exceeded expectations. Answering requires matching the reported data to the managers' original prediction.

Question 10Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage says of a scientist: "She treated every failed experiment as a question the data had asked her." What does this suggest about her attitude?

  1. She distrusted the data she collected.
  2. She saw failure as a source of new inquiry. Correct answer.
  3. She preferred theory to practical work.
  4. She avoided repeating experiments.

Explanation

The metaphor presents failure as a question rather than a defeat, meaning she used unexpected results to guide further investigation. Understanding figurative language is central to this kind of item.

Question 11Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

In a passage about urban planning, the writer notes: "Widening roads to reduce congestion often attracts more drivers, so the jams return within a few years." What is the writer's point?

  1. Roads should never be repaired.
  2. Congestion is impossible to measure.
  3. Drivers ignore traffic information.
  4. A solution can create the problem it targets. Correct answer.

Explanation

The passage describes a measure intended to reduce congestion that ends up attracting more traffic and restoring the jams. This is a cause-and-effect relationship in which the remedy feeds the problem.

Question 12Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage contains the sentence: "The museum's new wing is impressive, though visitors may wonder why so little of it is used for displays." What is the writer's attitude toward the new wing?

  1. Confusion about its location
  2. Complete disapproval
  3. Admiration mixed with criticism Correct answer.
  4. Unqualified admiration

Explanation

The word "impressive" gives praise, while "though" introduces a reservation about unused space. When a sentence contains a concessive connector, the reader should expect a balanced or mixed evaluation.

Question 13Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

Read this passage: "The recipe says to stir for five minutes. My grandmother never timed anything; she stirred until the spoon 'felt light.' The cake always rose." What does the passage suggest about the grandmother's cooking?

  1. She rarely succeeded with cakes.
  2. She used a different recipe from the one described.
  3. She relied on experience rather than exact measurement. Correct answer.
  4. She followed recipes more strictly than most people.

Explanation

The contrast between the timed recipe and the grandmother's sense of "feel" shows she judged by experience instead of instruments. The final sentence confirms that her method worked.

Question 14Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage about language learning states: "Learners who spoke from the first lesson made faster progress in pronunciation than those who waited until they felt ready." Which conclusion does the passage support?

  1. Grammar study has no value for learners.
  2. Waiting until one feels ready is the safest method.
  3. Early speaking practice is linked to faster improvement. Correct answer.
  4. Pronunciation cannot be improved after childhood.

Explanation

The sentence directly compares two groups and reports that early speakers progressed faster in pronunciation. A supported conclusion must stay within what the comparison shows without adding claims about grammar or age.

Question 15Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

In a narrative passage, a boy hides a broken watch in a drawer and tells his father he lost it. Later the passage says: "At dinner he could not meet his father's eyes." What does this detail reveal?

  1. He wants to sell the watch.
  2. He is angry with his father.
  3. He has forgotten about the watch.
  4. He is ashamed of his lie. Correct answer.

Explanation

Avoiding eye contact after telling a lie is a conventional signal of guilt or shame, and it fits the earlier detail about hiding the watch. Readers connect such behavior to the character's inner state.

Question 16Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage explains: "Because the valley is surrounded by mountains, clouds gather there in the afternoon and rain falls more often than in neighboring areas." What is the relationship between the mountains and the rainfall?

  1. The mountains cause clouds to collect, leading to rain. Correct answer.
  2. The mountains keep the valley warmer than nearby areas.
  3. The rain slowly wears down the mountains.
  4. The mountains block all rain from the valley.

Explanation

The connector "because" introduces the mountains as the cause, and the result is that clouds gather and rain falls more often. Identifying cause and result is the key skill in explanatory passages.

Question 17Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage about a novelist notes: "She wrote her first three books in a room above a bakery, and she has said the smell of bread was part of every sentence." What does the quotation imply?

  1. Her early working conditions shaped her writing. Correct answer.
  2. She could only write in the mornings.
  3. She wrote about a bakery in all her books.
  4. She preferred baking to writing.

Explanation

Saying the smell was "part of every sentence" implies that the place where she wrote influenced the writing itself. The point is about the connection between environment and creative work.

Question 18Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

Read this passage: "The village built a small hydroelectric plant on the river. Critics warned that the fish would disappear. Five years on, the fish are still there, and the school has electric lights for the first time." Which statement best captures the passage's overall message?

  1. The river was too small for a plant.
  2. The project brought benefits without the feared harm. Correct answer.
  3. The school no longer needs electricity.
  4. The critics' warning proved entirely correct.

Explanation

The passage sets up a prediction of harm and then reports that the fish survived while the village gained electricity. The overall message balances the outcome against the original warning.

Question 19Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage says: "Tourists often describe the island as 'unchanged,' but the fishing boats they photograph now carry ice boxes and satellite phones." What is the writer doing in this sentence?

  1. Complaining about the behavior of tourists
  2. Questioning a common impression with evidence Correct answer.
  3. Agreeing that the island has stayed the same
  4. Describing the history of fishing on the island

Explanation

The word "but" signals a challenge to the tourists' description, and the ice boxes and phones are concrete evidence of change. The writer is correcting a romanticized impression rather than simply reporting facts.

Question 20Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

Read this passage: "My brother claims he can tell the weather by the way birds fly. Last week he predicted rain and carried an umbrella all day. The sky stayed clear, and he explained that the birds had been 'unusually honest.'" What is the tone of the final sentence?

  1. Sad and regretful
  2. Amused and gently mocking Correct answer.
  3. Angry and accusing
  4. Formal and scientific

Explanation

The brother's excuse that the birds were "unusually honest" is playful nonsense, and the writer reports it to entertain the reader. Humor of this kind signals an amused, lightly mocking tone.

Question 21Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage states: "The committee rejected the proposal not because it was expensive but because it was vague." What reason does the passage give for the rejection?

  1. The proposal cost too much money.
  2. The proposal was submitted too late.
  3. The proposal lacked clear detail. Correct answer.
  4. The committee disliked the writer.

Explanation

The structure "not because X but because Y" tells the reader that X is explicitly ruled out and Y is the real reason. Here the real reason is that the proposal was vague, meaning it lacked clarity.

Question 22Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

Read this passage: "The two researchers published almost identical findings in the same month. Neither had read the other's work. Their methods, however, were completely different, which made the agreement of their results all the more striking." Why does the writer call the agreement "striking"?

  1. Because the researchers used the same methods
  2. Because independent, different approaches produced the same result Correct answer.
  3. Because the findings were published in different years
  4. Because the researchers worked in the same laboratory

Explanation

The passage emphasizes that the researchers did not know each other's work and used different methods, so the matching results cannot be explained by shared procedure. That independence is what makes the agreement surprising.

Question 23Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage about memory says: "Students who tested themselves on a passage remembered more a week later than students who read it four times, even though the readers felt more confident at the time." Which idea does the passage best illustrate?

  1. Ease during study does not guarantee later recall. Correct answer.
  2. Repeated reading is the most effective study method.
  3. Memory cannot be measured after a week.
  4. Feeling confident is a reliable sign of learning.

Explanation

The readers felt confident but remembered less, which shows that a comfortable study experience is not proof of durable learning. The contrast between the two groups is the point the writer draws.

Question 24Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

In a passage, a town debates removing a statue. One resident says: "If we take it down, we are deciding that the past should be silent. If we leave it up, we are deciding that it needs no explanation." What does the speaker's statement do?

  1. It argues strongly for removing the statue.
  2. It presents both choices as carrying a cost. Correct answer.
  3. It proves that the statue is historically accurate.
  4. It claims the debate is unimportant.

Explanation

The speaker constructs two conditional sentences, each assigning a drawback to one option, which frames the decision as a dilemma. This is a rhetorical structure rather than a one-sided argument.

Question 25Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage reports: "Sales of the paperback edition rose sharply after the author's interview, but library borrowing of the same title hardly changed. The publisher concluded that the interview had reached people who buy books rather than people who borrow them." Which assumption underlies the publisher's conclusion?

  1. The interview caused the rise in paperback sales. Correct answer.
  2. The author's earlier books sold poorly.
  3. Paperback editions are cheaper than hardbacks.
  4. Library users never watch interviews.

Explanation

The publisher treats the interview as the cause of the sales increase, so the reasoning depends on assuming that link rather than some other factor. Identifying such assumptions is the core of this question type.

Question 26Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage says: "The town's new library was built on the site of the old cinema, and the architect kept the original ticket booth as a reading nook." Why did the architect keep the ticket booth?

  1. To sell tickets for library events
  2. To provide a place for staff to rest
  3. To preserve a link to the building's former use Correct answer.
  4. To store old films from the cinema

Explanation

The passage states that the architect kept the original ticket booth and turned it into a reading nook, which shows an intention to retain a memory of the cinema that once stood there. The detail signals respect for the site's history rather than any practical library function.

Question 27Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

Read this passage: "Kenji's grandmother grows vegetables on a small plot behind her house. She refuses to use chemical sprays, so she checks the leaves every morning and picks off insects by hand." What can be inferred about the grandmother's approach to farming?

  1. She wants to sell her vegetables at a market
  2. She prefers careful manual work over chemical methods Correct answer.
  3. She thinks morning is the only time insects appear
  4. She believes insects improve the soil

Explanation

The passage explains that she avoids chemical sprays and instead inspects leaves daily and removes insects by hand. This shows a preference for patient manual effort over chemical solutions, which is a reasonable inference from the stated behavior.

Question 28Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage reads: "The bus to the mountain village leaves twice a day, at seven in the morning and at four in the afternoon. In winter, the second bus often arrives late because of snow on the road." According to the passage, why might the afternoon bus be delayed in winter?

  1. The bus leaves earlier in winter
  2. The driver changes every winter
  3. Snow on the road causes delays Correct answer.
  4. Fewer passengers travel in winter

Explanation

The passage directly states that in winter the second bus often arrives late because of snow on the road. The cause of the delay is explicitly given, so the correct answer restates that stated reason.

Question 29Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

Read this passage: "A sign at the entrance to the park says: 'Please keep dogs on a lead and close the gate behind you.'" What are visitors with dogs asked to do?

  1. Register their dogs at the entrance
  2. Walk their dogs only in the morning
  3. Leave their dogs outside the park
  4. Keep their dogs on a lead and close the gate Correct answer.

Explanation

The sign gives two instructions: keep dogs on a lead and close the gate behind you. The correct option combines both instructions exactly as they appear in the passage.

Question 30Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage states: "The school cafeteria began offering a vegetarian dish every day. At first only a few students chose it, but by the end of the term the vegetarian line was the longest one." What does the passage suggest about the vegetarian dish?

  1. It was offered only once a week
  2. It was more expensive than other dishes
  3. It was removed before the end of the term
  4. It became increasingly popular among students Correct answer.

Explanation

The passage contrasts a few students choosing the dish at first with the vegetarian line becoming the longest by the end of the term. This change over time indicates growing popularity.

Question 31Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

Read this passage: "The letter arrived three weeks after it was posted. By then, the concert it advertised had already taken place." What was the problem with the letter?

  1. It contained no concert information
  2. It was sent to the wrong address
  3. It was written in the wrong language
  4. It arrived too late to be useful Correct answer.

Explanation

The passage says the letter arrived three weeks after posting and that the concert had already happened. The clear implication is that the delay made the letter useless for its purpose.

Question 32Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage describes a shop: "The bakery opens at six, and by seven the shelves are nearly empty. The owner says she would rather bake a little less than throw bread away at night." What does the owner's comment reveal about her priorities?

  1. She values avoiding waste over selling more Correct answer.
  2. She plans to close the bakery early
  3. She wants to raise her prices
  4. She prefers baking in the evening

Explanation

The owner says she would rather bake a little less than throw bread away, which shows that reducing waste matters more to her than maximizing sales. The comparison in her statement makes this priority clear.

Question 33Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

Read this passage: "The hiking club meets on the first Saturday of each month. Members should bring water, a hat, and strong shoes. The walk is usually about ten kilometers and finishes by three in the afternoon." What should members bring?

  1. Water, a hat, and strong shoes Correct answer.
  2. A map and a compass
  3. A raincoat and a torch
  4. Lunch and a camera

Explanation

The passage lists exactly three items members should bring: water, a hat, and strong shoes. This is a straightforward detail question, and the correct option matches the list in the text.

Question 34Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage reads: "When the factory closed, the town did not collapse as some had predicted. Several former workers opened small businesses, and the empty building was later used as a community center." What is the main point of this passage?

  1. The town adapted to the loss of the factory Correct answer.
  2. The community center was built before the factory closed
  3. The workers moved away to find jobs
  4. The factory was reopened by the government

Explanation

The passage begins by noting the town did not collapse and then gives examples of how people and the building were put to new uses. Together these details support the main idea that the town adapted to the closure.

Question 35Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

Read this passage: "My father never threw anything away. Old screws, broken radios, and lengths of wire filled the shed. Yet whenever a neighbor needed a part, he found it within minutes." What does the passage suggest about the father?

  1. His disorder was in fact a practical system Correct answer.
  2. He was unable to find anything in the shed
  3. He rarely helped his neighbors
  4. He wanted to sell the old parts

Explanation

The passage contrasts the shed's apparent disorder with the father's ability to find any part quickly when a neighbor needed it. This contrast suggests that what looks like clutter actually functions as a useful, organized collection.

Question 36Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage states: "The city planted trees along the main street. Three years later, shop owners reported that customers stayed longer on hot days, and air-conditioning costs had fallen." What is the passage mainly reporting?

  1. Complaints from shop owners about the trees
  2. The cost of maintaining the new trees
  3. A plan to plant trees in other cities
  4. Unexpected benefits of planting street trees Correct answer.

Explanation

The passage lists two outcomes of planting trees: customers staying longer on hot days and lower air-conditioning costs. Both are positive results that the city may not have planned for, so the passage reports unexpected benefits.

Question 37Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

Read this passage: "The novel's narrator describes every room in the house in detail but never describes the people who live there. Readers learn about the family only through the objects they leave behind." What effect does the narrator's method create?

  1. Readers learn the family's history from dialogue
  2. Readers receive a clear summary of each person
  3. Readers are told the narrator's opinions directly
  4. Readers must infer the family's character from objects Correct answer.

Explanation

The passage says the narrator describes rooms but not people, and that readers learn about the family only through objects left behind. The effect is that readers must build their understanding of the family indirectly from those objects.

Question 38Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage says: "The two villages share a river but disagree about it. The upstream village wants a dam for electricity; the downstream village fears its fields will dry up." What is the source of the disagreement?

  1. The upstream village wants to stop using electricity
  2. The villages cannot agree on who owns the river
  3. The dam would benefit one village but harm the other Correct answer.
  4. The downstream village wants a larger dam

Explanation

The passage shows that the upstream village expects electricity from the dam while the downstream village expects its fields to dry up. The conflict arises because the same project has opposite consequences for the two communities.

Question 39Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

Read this passage: "The museum guide spoke softly, almost in a whisper, even though the room was empty. When asked why, she said, 'The paintings were made for quiet attention.'" What does the guide's answer mean?

  1. She wants visitors to leave the museum quickly
  2. She believes the paintings are best viewed in silence Correct answer.
  3. She is afraid of being heard by her manager
  4. She thinks the room is too cold for visitors

Explanation

The guide explains that the paintings were made for quiet attention, and her soft voice matches that idea even when no one is present. Her answer expresses a belief that silent, focused viewing suits the artworks.

Question 40Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage reports: "When the town replaced its paper timetables with an app, older residents complained. The town then printed a small booklet and left copies at the station, and complaints stopped." What lesson does the passage illustrate?

  1. New systems work better when they include old methods Correct answer.
  2. Paper timetables are more accurate than apps
  3. The station should stop displaying information
  4. Apps are always too difficult for residents

Explanation

The town solved the complaints by adding a paper booklet alongside the app rather than abandoning the new system. The passage thus illustrates that combining a new method with a familiar one can make change acceptable.

Question 41Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

Read this passage: "The scientist kept a notebook beside her bed because ideas came to her at night. 'Half of them are useless,' she said, 'but I cannot tell which half until morning.'" What does her comment suggest about her method?

  1. She prefers to work at night
  2. Recording many ideas is worthwhile even if most fail Correct answer.
  3. She writes only the ideas she trusts
  4. She rarely has new ideas

Explanation

The scientist records ideas at night despite knowing half are useless, because she cannot judge them until later. This suggests that capturing many ideas, including poor ones, is a useful part of her process.

Question 42Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage states: "The recipe calls for 'a handful of herbs.' One cook's handful may be twice the size of another's, which is why the same recipe can taste different in two kitchens." What point is the passage making?

  1. Handfuls are the most accurate measure
  2. Two kitchens always produce identical food
  3. Recipes should never include herbs
  4. Vague measurements lead to varied results Correct answer.

Explanation

The passage explains that a handful differs from person to person and that this explains why one recipe can taste different in different kitchens. The point is that imprecise measurements produce inconsistent outcomes.

Question 43Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

Read this passage: "The ferry runs only when the tide is high enough. Passengers check a board at the harbor each morning, and a red light means no crossing that day." What does a red light on the board indicate?

  1. The harbor is closed for repairs
  2. The ferry will not cross that day Correct answer.
  3. The ferry is full
  4. The tide is unusually high

Explanation

The passage states directly that a red light means no crossing that day. Because the ferry runs only when the tide is high enough, the red light signals that conditions do not allow a crossing.

Question 44Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage says: "The village festival was once held only for local families. Now visitors come from the city, and some residents worry that the songs are performed for cameras rather than for each other." What concern do some residents have?

  1. The festival is becoming a performance for outsiders Correct answer.
  2. The festival is too expensive to organize
  3. The songs are being forgotten by young people
  4. Visitors are not allowed to take photographs

Explanation

The residents' worry is expressed in the contrast between performing for cameras and performing for each other. This shows a concern that outside visitors are changing the festival from a shared local event into a show.

Question 45Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

Read this passage: "The old clock in the station has been wrong for years. The station master refuses to fix it, saying that people who rely on it deserve to miss a train once." What is the tone of the station master's remark?

  1. Deeply sorrowful
  2. Openly angry
  3. Playfully stubborn Correct answer.
  4. Formally official

Explanation

The station master's refusal to fix a clock that has been wrong for years, together with his joke about people deserving to miss a train, carries a light, stubborn humor. The remark is playful rather than seriously harsh.

Question 46Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage states: "The company stopped advertising in newspapers and moved its budget online. Sales stayed the same, but the average age of its customers fell by ten years." What did the change in advertising achieve?

  1. It reduced the number of customers
  2. It increased total sales sharply
  3. It changed who the customers were, not how many Correct answer.
  4. It made the products cheaper to produce

Explanation

The passage says sales stayed the same while the average customer age fell, which means the number of customers did not change but their profile did. The new advertising reached a younger audience without raising total sales.

Question 47Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

Read this passage: "The reviewer praised the film's first hour as 'a model of restraint.' Of the second hour, she wrote only that 'the director clearly ran out of patience with his own story.'" What is the reviewer's overall view of the film?

  1. It starts well but loses control later Correct answer.
  2. It is too short to judge fairly
  3. It is excellent from beginning to end
  4. It improves after a slow beginning

Explanation

The reviewer praises the first hour for restraint and criticizes the second by saying the director ran out of patience with his own story. The contrast shows a film that begins strongly but weakens as it goes on.

Question 48Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage explains: "Bees that visit only one kind of flower carry pollen more efficiently than bees that visit many kinds. Yet a garden with only one flower species supports far fewer bees overall." What tension does the passage describe?

  1. Efficiency for individual bees conflicts with variety for the garden Correct answer.
  2. Pollen is less important than the number of bees
  3. Gardens with many species attract no bees
  4. Bees prefer gardens with a single flower species

Explanation

The passage sets a benefit for individual bees, which do better with one flower type, against a benefit for the garden as a whole, which supports more bees with many species. These two advantages pull in opposite directions, which is the tension described.

Question 49Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

Read this passage: "Historians once described the bridge as a triumph of engineering. Recent letters show that its designer copied the plans from an earlier, smaller bridge and simply enlarged them, ignoring warnings that the supports would fail." What does the passage suggest about the earlier description?

  1. It credited the designer with more originality than the letters support Correct answer.
  2. It exaggerated the bridge's size
  3. It was based on the designer's own letters
  4. It was written before the bridge was built

Explanation

The earlier description called the bridge a triumph, implying original achievement, while the letters show the plans were copied and enlarged despite warnings. The passage therefore suggests the earlier view gave the designer too much credit for originality.

Question 50Reading comprehension (long and medium-length passages)

A passage says: "The town's decision to ban cars from the square was popular with shoppers but unpopular with delivery drivers. The council then allowed deliveries before nine in the morning, and both groups accepted the rule." What does this outcome show about the council's solution?

  1. It favored shoppers over drivers permanently
  2. It addressed each group's needs at different times Correct answer.
  3. It removed the ban entirely
  4. It failed to satisfy either group

Explanation

The council kept the car ban for shoppers while permitting early deliveries for drivers, so each group gained what mattered to it at a different time of day. The acceptance by both groups shows the compromise worked by separating their needs in time.