READING COMPREHENSION

DIRECTIONS: In this subtest you will read several passages. Each one is followed by several questions
about it. For items 1-50, you are to choose the one best answer, A, B, C, and D, to each question. Then
blacken the circle that corresponds to the letter of your choice in the Answer Sheet. Answer all questions
following a passage on the basis of what is started or implied in that passage.

Selection A (Items 1 8)
1. One reason that so many people fail is that they lack confidence in themselves. If you think of
yourself as being unworthy of great achievement, you will never achieve greatness. If, on the
other hand, you know yourself and understand what your abilities are, and if then you are
determined to accomplish everything of which you are capable, you will then realize all your
possibilities and gain confidence in yourself.
2. One of the surest ways to accomplish this is for you to associate with persons who have really
achieved greatness. It is impossible, however, for most people to come frequently into the
actual presence of the great. The next best thing, perhaps, is for you to spend part of your time
in reading about great achievers. Biography is a powerful stimulant to action.
3. But these processes will not work unless you rid yourself of a sense of inferiority and determine
to do the best that you possibly can. One of the great philosophers expressed the idea in a single
sentence when he said that each individual should hitch his wagon to a star.

1. What is the main idea of the selection?

A. Self-confidence is hard to achieve
B. Many people suffer from an inferiority complex
C. Knowing oneself leads to great achievement in life.
D. Self-confidence is the key factor in achieving success in life.
2. Which paragraph/s gives/give specific suggestions on how to develop confidence in oneself?
A. Paragraph 1 B. Paragraph 2 C. Paragraph 1 to 3 D. Paragraph 2 and 3
3. What word is synonymous or closest in meaning to the sword hitch as used in the last sentence
of the selection?
A. Drive B. fasten C. detach D. remove
4. Successful people are different from those who are not because they
A. work hard at having faith in their abilities.
B. Persevere to achieve greatness.
C. Hesitate to take risk by themselves.
D. Disregard the opinions of others.
5. What does the saying Each individual should hitch his wagon to a start mean?
A. One should try to fulfill all his ambitions in life.
B. A person should emulate his ideal person.
C. A person should aim as high as he could reach.
D. One should wish upon a star to make his dreams come true.

6. What literary technique was used by the writer in presenting his ideas?
A. Narration C. Comparing ideas
B. Detailed analysis D. Giving suggestions
7. According to the author, what is one of surest ways to achieve self-confidence?
A. Read lots of informative books
B. Deal with people who have achieved greatness
C. Befriend people who are self-sufficient
D. Develop a strong and independent personality
8. Based on the selection, what conclusion may be drawn?
A. Confidence in oneself is crucial in achieving success.
B. Associating with well-known individuals is enough to propel one to succeed.
C. Reading the biographies of great people is essential for one to become successful.
D. Confidence in the ability of others is needed to boost ones chances of succeeding.

Selection B (19 15)

1. Asias new generation of kids has more than just youth in common. Whether in Manila,
Hongkong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta or Tokyo, whether rich or poor, urban or rural,
delinquent or not, Asias youngsters share many things. They go to schools, sing-along bars, fast
food outlets, rock concert and rallies. They are dressed in wild costumes of screaming colors or
black, leather jackets, outsized t-shirts and candy-colored sneakers.
2. In Manila, they are particularly called bagets. Their pursuits, though seemingly inane are
innocent singing-along with the gang at the malls, sharing cheeseburgers and sodas or cruising
the commercial center of Cubao and Makati.
3. In Bangkok, they will wander about the Siam Shopping Center, in Singapore, in the Shopping
complexes of Orchard Road. They are kids of Asias great cities, avant-garde, rebellious,
modernized. They are exposed to imported television that usher in international values.
4. In Hongkong, the kids have been described as precocious, world-wise, and materialistic,
governed less by teachers and parents than by the omnipresent television. Peer group influence is
great. Their trademarks are smoking, foul language, bizarre and attention-getting appearance, and
rude mannerisms.
5. In Japan, they look like different race to the old generation. There is rising drug abuse, sexual
freedom, crime and homosexuality among the youth. Theres less respect given to parents and to
 9. The selection is about Asias
A. lost generation C. urbanized society
B. delinquent youth D. new generation of youth
10. it can be inferred from the selection that Asias youth
A. have senseless pursuits. C. have been influenced by western culture.
B. share many common goals. D. have varied dreams and ambitions.
11. What is worth observing and good about the youth beneath the modern image and westernized
lifestyle?
A. The youth are still the easy-go-lucky type
B. Many of them still believe in traditional values
C. They share a common character as influenced by the media.
D. The values of the new generation have been modified by modernization.
12. When the author said that Asian youth are avant-garde, it means that they
A. Are behind the times C. are promiscuous and stubborn
B. Have old-fashioned thoughts D. practice new and experimental ideas
13. What conclusion can be drawn out of the selection?
A. Peers are just companions, they dont influence others.
B. Print and broadcast media have a great influence on the youth.
C. Discipline at home has nothing to do with the character of the youth today.
D. Character is hereditary, the environment has nothing to do with what was become of the
youth today.
14. If the youth are exposed to too much western television they will likely
A. Develop foreign values and forget traditional ones.
B. Become complacent and indifferent.
C. Become aggressive and violent
D. Develop an independent mind.

15. What literary technique was used by the author in writing the selection?
A. Comparing B. Describing C. Making a profile D. Narrating events

Selection C (Items 16 22)

1. In the year 1799, an officer of the French Army was stationed in a small fortress on the
Rosetta River, a mouth of the Nile, near Alexander, Egypt. He was interested in the
ruins of the ancient Egyptian civilization, and had seen the sphinx and the pyramids,
those mysterious structures that were erected by men of another era.
2. One day, as a trench was being dug, he found a piece of black slate on which letters had
been carved. He had studied Greek in school, and knew this was as inscription written in
that language. There were two more lines carved into the stone: one in the Egyptian
characters he had seen on the ruins, the other in completely unfamiliar characters.
3. The officer realized the importance of such a find, and relinquished it to scholars who
had been puzzling over Egyptian inscriptions.
4. In 1802, a French professor by the name of Champollion began studying the stone in an
attempt to decipher the two unknown sets of characters using the Greek letters as a key.
He worked with the stone for over 20 years, and in 1823, announced that he had
discovered the meaning of the fourteen signs, and in doing so, had unlocked the secret
of ancient Egyptian writing.
5. Some 5000 years after an unknown person had made those three inscriptions, the Rostta
Stone became a key, unlocking the written records of Egypt and sharing the history of
that civilization with the rest of the world.
 16. What is the main idea of the selection?
A. French scholars worked hard in studying ancient history.
B. Ancient Egyptians wrote and preserved their history in stones.
C. The discovery of the Rosetta Stone led to a better understanding of the history of Egypt.
D. A French Army officer studied the Rosetta Stone and the inscriptions carved into it.
17. In which country was the Rosetta Stone found?
A. Egypt B. Greece C. France D. Alexandra
18. What word would best describe ancient Egyptians based on the selection?
A. dedicated B. resourceful C. wise D. gifted
19. What might have happened if the Rosetta Stone were not found?
A. Egyptian civilization would have flourished.
B. Ancient Egypt would not have reached the peak of its glory.
C. Ancient Egyptians would not have known of their cultural heritage.
D. Egyptian civilization would not have been fully understood by the modern world.
20. What does the lone sentence in the third paragraph mean?
A. The owner of the Rosetta Stone tried to sell it to scholars.
B. The Egyptian scholars were puzzled by the inscriptions found in the Rosetta Stone.
C. The founder of the Rosetta Stone knew of its value and turned it over to the proper
authorities.
D. The officer did not think the Rosetta Stone had much value and therefore gave it away.
21. What literary technique was used by the writer in developing the selection?
A. Detailed analysis C. Narrative chronological order of events
B. Comparison and contrast of ideas D. Repetition of important points for emphasis
22. What conclusion may be drawn from the selection?
A. Egypt has a rich civilization dating back to the earliest of times.
B. Egypt has a mysterious culture which remained unknown.
C. Egypt was an ancient country with no significant history.
D. Egypts civilization benefited only those in ancient times.

Selection D (Items 23 29)

1. The complacent Filipino majority may not have been awakened yet to the reality of a ravaged
environment; nonetheless, the evidence must be overemphasized. Automotive vehicles for one,
reportedly contribute 94.6 million tons of waste released into the air each year; a commuter can
only imagine how polluted the air that gets into his respiratory system is.
2. Pollution experts are inclined to single out man as the culprit of his own destruction. Man, rightly
referred to as a messy animal, has helped bring about untold environmental decay.
3. Imperiled by the pollution of air, water and land are not only human lives. The marine species as
well as the flora and fauna are just adversely affected. Mass suicides of fishes and whales have
been witnessed along Australian and American shorelines.
4. The mushrooming of factories and plants along river banks have been largely responsible for the
pollution of the different bodies of water; indiscriminate disposal of industrial waste makes
festering sinks of the rivers. Too much dumpling of industrial waste renders to water stagnant.
Many of the rivers that used to flow along industrial banks can use some dredging. And yet what
good will dredging of a river do if in no time at all it will serve again as a dumping basin? The
initiative has to come from the factory owners.
 5. A great number of scientists like o think that new technology can be called upon to check the
impending pollution disaster, others are of the opinion that fewer births and less gadgetry may
yet provide the answer to the devastating dilemma. It cannot be denied, however, that mans
wasteful ways call for some measure of discipline.
6. Mans brutality toward his environment will only lead to his unmarking. It is ironical, indeed,
hat he who was created to have dominion over every living creature on earth should one day
be overpowered by an environment he has helped to pollute. The catastrophe can hopefully
still be averted.

23. What does the selection generally urge man to realize?

A. The threat of environmental pollution to each country
B. The necessity of taking immediate steps to solve the pollution problem
C. The scope of the problem of environmental pollution
D. The steps to take in checking the impending pollution disaster
24. The phrase mushrooming of factories are used in the fourth paragraph of the selection refers to
factories which are
A. built B. destroyed C. maintained D. abandoned
25. In what part of the selection can you read of the ways we can prevent pollution?
A. First paragraph B. Fourth paragraph C. Fifth paragraph D. Last paragraph
26. Who is referred to in the phrase a messy animal in the second paragraph of the selection?
A. Fishes and whales B. Flora and fauna C. Scientist D. Man
27. What is implied in the last paragraph of the selection/
A. Man failed to realize the seriousness of the pollution problem.
B. Pollution, if unchecked, can bring about the destruction of man.
C. Man does not deserve to be the master of His creation.
D. There is no need to be alarmed of the pollution problem.
28. What would be the likely outcome if we continue polluting our environment?
A. Man will be destroyed by an environment he had polluted.
B. Less births and less gadgetry will save the world from catastrophe.
C. Technology can help check the problem on environmental pollution.
D. Mans wasteful ways will contribute more to the pollution of the environment.
29. Which of the following statements show a cause and effect relationship?
A. Mans wasteful ways are a perennial problem.
B. Mans brutality toward his destruction.
C. The marine species and the flora and fauna are adversely affected.
D. Mass suicide of fishes and whales have been seen along coastlines.

Selection E (Items 30 36)

1. When the womens liberation movement started, among the man issues raised by
feminists was the relevance of beauty contest. It was felt that the competitions were
exploitative and demeaning to women. It would seem, that the campaign to discourage
contest has had so far very limited success. Certainly there have been achievements.
Some competitions were launched which focused more on the contestants talents than
their pulchritude.
2. Despite some developments, however, there are very strong indicators that feminist have
not really discouraged the holding of beauty competitions nor the participation of many
women who seem to look upon them as the stepping stone toward glamorous careers like
modeling and acting.
3. Every year still sees the birth of many new beauty contest and many women have made a
career of joining every competition. Contestants have displayed the fierce determination
one expects to see only among prizefighters. There was, for instance, this Italian beauty
who participated in the Miss Universe pageant. Eager to make the members of the board
of judges notice her and possibly award her the title, the signorina sashayed across the
stage deliberately forgetting whatever it was she was supposed to be wearing during that
portion of the program.
4. While not many women will probably go to the same lengths to get the attention, the fact
remains that the word is still full of ladies of all ages eager to participate in any beauty
contest. Thus, new contest are being launched each year just to accommodate all these
women who would like to be known as Miss Somebody sometime during their lifetime.
30. What is the main idea of the selection?
A. There is stiff competition among beauty contest candidates.
B. Beauty contests have diminished in popularity through the years.
C. There is little relevance in the beauty contest held every year.
D. Beauty contests remain popular among young women in spite of negative reactions sfrom
feminists movements.
31. What is meant by the phrase stepping stone as used in the second paragraph?
A. A good-luck charm C. a bridge to get to the other side
B. An accessory to ones attire D. an initial step towards ones goal
32. According to the author, what career do most beauty contestants aspire for?
A. Modeling B. advertising C. broadcasting D. television hosting
33. What is the primary reason why young women all over the world are eager to join beauty
contests?
A. To get rich and lead a privileged life C. To be able to travel to another country
B. To meet more friends around the world D. To have an opportunity to start a glamorous career
34. One contestant in a beauty pageant deliberately did not wear the proper attire in order to
A. Catch the attention of the judges. C. entertain the audience.
B. Be different from the others . D. make fun of herself.
35. The author presented his ideas in the selection by?
A. Narrating B. describing C. enumerating details D. giving examples
36. What does the author mean when he said it was felt that the competitions were exploitative and
demeaning to women?
A. Feminists felt that beauty contests are a waste of precious time to women.
B. Feminists felt that beauty contests were dishonorable and disrespectful to women.
C. The author felt that beauty competitions are a source of pride to women.
D. The author felt that beauty competitions are meaningless and irrelevant.
Selection F (Item 37 43)

1. This is a true story of something that happened just a few years ago in a foreign
university:
2. There was a professor of philosophy in a school who was a deeply committed atheist.
His primary goal for one required class was to spend the entire semester attempting to
prove that God did not exist. His students were always afraid to argue with him
because of his impeccable logic. For twenty years he taught his subject and no one ever
had the courage to go against him. Sure, some argued in class at times, but no one ever
really went against him because of his reputation.
3. At the end of every semester, on the last day, he would say to his class of 30 students,
xif there is anyone here who still believes in God, stand up. In those twenty years, no
one ever stood up. They knew what he was going to do next. He would say, Because
anyone who believes in God is a fool. If God existed, he could stop this piece of chalk
from hitting the ground and breaking. Such a simple task to prove that He is God, and
yet He cant do it.
4. And every year, he would drop the chalk onto the tile floor of the classroom and it
would shatter into a hundred pieces. All of the students would do nothing but to stop
and stare. Most of the students thought indeed that God couldnt exist.
5. Well, a few years ago there was a freshman who happened to enroll. He had heard the
stories about this professor. He was required to take the class for his major, and he was
afraid. But for three months that semester, he prayed every morning that he would have
the courage to stand up, no matter what the professor said, or what the class thought.
Nothing they said could ever shatter his faith.
6. Finally, the day came. The professor said, If there is anyone here who still believes in
God, stand up!
7. The professor and the class of 30 people looked at him, shocked, as he rose from his
seatisatthe
37. What theauthors
back of main
the classroom. The
point in the professor shouted, You FOOL! If God existed,
selection?
A. heMan
would keeplive
cannot thisthrough
piece offaith
chalk from breaking when it hits the ground! He
alone
processed to drop the chalk,
B. Science cannot prove the existence but as heofdid,
God it slipped out of his hand, into his pants,
C. down
Faithhis leg, and
requires us off his shoes.
to forgive Asthose
even it hit who
the ground, it simply
are against us. rolled away unbroken,
8.D. The
Theprofessors
existence orjawnon-existence
dropped as heofstared at the chalk.
God cannot He looked
be proven throughuplogic.
at the young man,
and then ran out of the lecture room. The young man, who had stood, proceeded to
walk to the front of the room and shared his faith for the next half hour.

38. What was the professors method of proving there is no God.

A. Dropping a piece of chalk on the floor and having it roll.
B. Intimidating his students to agree with him that there is no God
C. Dropping a piece of chalk on the floor and demanding that God stop it from breaking.
D. Asking his students at the end of the semester as to who still believes in God.
39. In what sway was the new student different from the other students?
A. He has a stronger faith. C. he knows what he is fighting for.
B. He is smarter and brighter. D. he is ambitious and aggressive.
40. Which paragraph mentions how the new student prepared for his encounter with his atheist
professor?
A. Paragraph 3 B. Paragraph 5 C. Paragraph 7 D. Paragraph 8
41. The pronoun him in the second paragraph refers to
A. The student who stood up. C. the professor.
B. One of the class members. D. God.
42. What conclusion can be derived from the above story?
A. Men of knowledge and wisdom have no need for faith.
B. Faithless people lead unhappy lives.
C. Faith is all that a person needs to survive.
D. Faith can surmount even most resistant obstacles.

43. What word is synonymous or closet in meaning to the word impeccable as used in the second
paragraph?
A. faultless B. astonishing C. changeable D. inconsistent