AzM2 Reading Test 2

Question 1

Read the following passage(s) and answer the questions that follow.
Passage 1
How the Hyperloop Works
by Catherine Casteel

(1) The Hyperloop is an idea for a high-speed transportation system that was proposed by Son Musk in 2013. Elon Musk is an entrepreneur, engineer, and inventor who founded SpaceX and is the co-founder of Zip2, PayPal, and Tesla Motors.

(2) The Hyperloop is different from bullet trains or high-speed rail. Bullet trains use magnetic levitation (maglev) to move vehicles without touching the ground. With maglev, a vehicle travels along a guideway, using magnets to create both lift and propulsion, which reduces friction and allows for very high speeds to be achieved. High-speed rail is more like a traditional train system, but uses a system of specialized train cars and tracks.

(3) The Hyperloop uses magnets and fans to push aluminum pods through pressurized tubes. The steel tubes are topped with solar panels and carry battery packs to store energy that can be used at night or in cloudy weather.

(4) While there are some innovations, a lot of technology already exists to support the project. It's very similar to the old pneumatic tubes that used air pressure to move messages in banks and other buildings in the twentieth century.

(5) In Hyperloop transportation, the pods or capsules travel inside tubes elevated by pylons that are 17 to 20 feet above ground.

Choose two ways in which the visual in Passage 1 helps the reader understand the Hyperloop.

Accepted Answer

It shows the technology of the Hyperloop in greater detail.

Answer

The correct answer
It shows the technology of the Hyperloop in greater detail.
It shows how the Hyperloop could be suitable for sizable cargo and freight.

Question 2

Plenty to Do at the Zoo
by Rachel Young

1) Can't wait to start that homework? No? But what if you were stuck in an empty room with no books, no toys, no TV or computer, not even a copy of Ask? "Maybe then homework wouldn't seem so bad," says Steve Ross of the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

2) With keepers to feed them, vets to cure them, and no predators to eat them, animals in a zoo usually live much longer than animals in the wild. Zoo life is safe, but it can also be boring.

3) In the wild, survival is a full-time job, what with finding food, taking care of babies, and steering clear of all the things that might want to eat you. Compared with their wild cousins, says one zoo veterinarian, zoo animals are unemployed.

4) Scientists observing animals in their natural environments realized that some zoo animals were doing all sorts of unnatural things those species don't do in the wild. Tigers paced back and forth endlessly. Elephants bobbed their heads up and down.... Monkeys groomed to the point of giving themselves sores. These are signs of boredom and stress. And scientists have learned that being stressed out can actually make animals, and people, sick.

5) Giving zoo animals food and shelter isn't enough to keep them healthy. They also need something to do. These days, problems like pacing are less common because zoos try to make life interesting for the animals that live there, with habitats, games, and even toys that encourage natural skills and behaviors. These things are just as important for the animals' good health as the proper diet or a visit from the vet.

Work for your food

6) Tomatoey and sweet, the smell of ketchup wafts from inside a big artificial termite mound in the corner of the ape habitat at Lincoln Park Zoo. One chimpanzee is hungry for a taste. He grabs a piece of hay and tries to poke it into a small hole in the mound, but the hay is too limp and flexible. Frustrated, the chimpanzee presses his lips against the hole and reaches in with his tongue. Again, no luck. The hole is too deep and the ketchup too far away. Finally, he grabs a branch and goes to work, ripping off leaves and shredding bark until he has a narrow stick that just fits in the hole. When he pulls the stick out, the end is slathered with ketchup. Success! He slurps up the treat and goes back for more.

7) In the wild, chimpanzees spend more than half their time foraging for food. They fish for termites (not ketchup) and sometimes roam 7 miles (11 km) a day to look for bugs, leaves, and other morsels.

8) But what takes all day in the forest could take five minutes at the zoo: once the keeper plunks down a plate of fruit and monkey chow, a chimp has the rest of the day to stare into space.

9) But that's changing. Now, for many zoo animals, feeding time is a chance to sharpen their skills by hunting or foraging. To keep the animals on their toes, zookeepers like to scatter or hide food rather than leaving it in one place. That way the animals can spend many enjoyable hours searching and sniffing and climbing for treats.

Let the game begin
. . .

10) With hanging vines and twisting tree trunks, the ape habitat at Lincoln Park Zoo looks a lot like a jungle. It's also a fun house. Trees are booby-trapped with touch pads that set off water misters or scatterguns loaded with food. Scientists like observing how and when chimpanzees figure out the hidden tricks, and the chimpanzees like solving the puzzles and being rewarded with a cooling mist of water or a round of snacks.

11) Other animals get toys that are less high-tech but still fun to play with. Hippos and elephants push big rubber balls, and wolves tug on bits of fur. Of course, toys with food inside are always popular. Lions at the Detroit Zoo got to stalk a zebra, although it wasn't much of a challenge; the zebra was papier-mâché. When they tore open the piñata, the lions were rewarded with a belly full of food.

12) Research has already shown that keeping life interesting changes things for the better. Animals act more naturally—and they get sick less from stress-related illness. They're livelier, and they interact more with friends and family. It just goes to show—a bit of homework keeps you healthy.

Which of the following sentences best summarizes the passage?

Accepted Answer

Zoo animals are healthier when they can behave like wild animals.

Answer

Correct answer:
Zoo animals are healthier when they can behave like wild animals.

Question 3

Plenty to Do at the Zoo
by Rachel Young

1) Can't wait to start that homework? No? But what if you were stuck in an empty room with no books, no toys, no TV or computer, not even a copy of Ask? "Maybe then homework wouldn't seem so bad," says Steve Ross of the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

2) With keepers to feed them, vets to cure them, and no predators to eat them, animals in a zoo usually live much longer than animals in the wild. Zoo life is safe, but it can also be boring.

3) In the wild, survival is a full-time job, what with finding food, taking care of babies, and steering clear of all the things that might want to eat you. Compared with their wild cousins, says one zoo veterinarian, zoo animals are unemployed.

4) Scientists observing animals in their natural environments realized that some zoo animals were doing all sorts of unnatural things those species don't do in the wild. Tigers paced back and forth endlessly. Elephants bobbed their heads up and down.... Monkeys groomed to the point of giving themselves sores. These are signs of boredom and stress. And scientists have learned that being stressed out can actually make animals, and people, sick.

5) Giving zoo animals food and shelter isn't enough to keep them healthy. They also need something to do. These days, problems like pacing are less common because zoos try to make life interesting for the animals that live there, with habitats, games, and even toys that encourage natural skills and behaviors. These things are just as important for the animals' good health as the proper diet or a visit from the vet.

Work for your food

6) Tomatoey and sweet, the smell of ketchup wafts from inside a big artificial termite mound in the corner of the ape habitat at Lincoln Park Zoo. One chimpanzee is hungry for a taste. He grabs a piece of hay and tries to poke it into a small hole in the mound, but the hay is too limp and flexible. Frustrated, the chimpanzee presses his lips against the hole and reaches in with his tongue. Again, no luck. The hole is too deep and the ketchup too far away. Finally, he grabs a branch and goes to work, ripping off leaves and shredding bark until he has a narrow stick that just fits in the hole. When he pulls the stick out, the end is slathered with ketchup. Success! He slurps up the treat and goes back for more.

7) In the wild, chimpanzees spend more than half their time foraging for food. They fish for termites (not ketchup) and sometimes roam 7 miles (11 km) a day to look for bugs, leaves, and other morsels.

8) But what takes all day in the forest could take five minutes at the zoo: once the keeper plunks down a plate of fruit and monkey chow, a chimp has the rest of the day to stare into space.

9) But that's changing. Now, for many zoo animals, feeding time is a chance to sharpen their skills by hunting or foraging. To keep the animals on their toes, zookeepers like to scatter or hide food rather than leaving it in one place. That way the animals can spend many enjoyable hours searching and sniffing and climbing for treats.

Let the game begin
. . .

10) With hanging vines and twisting tree trunks, the ape habitat at Lincoln Park Zoo looks a lot like a jungle. It's also a fun house. Trees are booby-trapped with touch pads that set off water misters or scatterguns loaded with food. Scientists like observing how and when chimpanzees figure out the hidden tricks, and the chimpanzees like solving the puzzles and being rewarded with a cooling mist of water or a round of snacks.

11) Other animals get toys that are less high-tech but still fun to play with. Hippos and elephants push big rubber balls, and wolves tug on bits of fur. Of course, toys with food inside are always popular. Lions at the Detroit Zoo got to stalk a zebra, although it wasn't much of a challenge; the zebra was papier-mâché. When they tore open the piñata, the lions were rewarded with a belly full of food.

12) Research has already shown that keeping life interesting changes things for the better. Animals act more naturally—and they get sick less from stress-related illness. They're livelier, and they interact more with friends and family. It just goes to show—a bit of homework keeps you healthy.

What are the passage's key points? Select two options.

Accepted Answer

Zookeepers and vets create activities for zoo animals to keep them healthy.

Answer

Correct answer:
Zookeepers and vets create activities for zoo animals to keep them healthy.
Scientists learned that zoo animals were showing signs of stress because they were bored.

Question 4

Plenty to Do at the Zoo
by Rachel Young

1) Can't wait to start that homework? No? But what if you were stuck in an empty room with no books, no toys, no TV or computer, not even a copy of Ask? "Maybe then homework wouldn't seem so bad," says Steve Ross of the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

2) With keepers to feed them, vets to cure them, and no predators to eat them, animals in a zoo usually live much longer than animals in the wild. Zoo life is safe, but it can also be boring.

3) In the wild, survival is a full-time job, what with finding food, taking care of babies, and steering clear of all the things that might want to eat you. Compared with their wild cousins, says one zoo veterinarian, zoo animals are unemployed.

4) Scientists observing animals in their natural environments realized that some zoo animals were doing all sorts of unnatural things those species don't do in the wild. Tigers paced back and forth endlessly. Elephants bobbed their heads up and down.... Monkeys groomed to the point of giving themselves sores. These are signs of boredom and stress. And scientists have learned that being stressed out can actually make animals, and people, sick.

5) Giving zoo animals food and shelter isn't enough to keep them healthy. They also need something to do. These days, problems like pacing are less common because zoos try to make life interesting for the animals that live there, with habitats, games, and even toys that encourage natural skills and behaviors. These things are just as important for the animals' good health as the proper diet or a visit from the vet.

Work for your food

6) Tomatoey and sweet, the smell of ketchup wafts from inside a big artificial termite mound in the corner of the ape habitat at Lincoln Park Zoo. One chimpanzee is hungry for a taste. He grabs a piece of hay and tries to poke it into a small hole in the mound, but the hay is too limp and flexible. Frustrated, the chimpanzee presses his lips against the hole and reaches in with his tongue. Again, no luck. The hole is too deep and the ketchup too far away. Finally, he grabs a branch and goes to work, ripping off leaves and shredding bark until he has a narrow stick that just fits in the hole. When he pulls the stick out, the end is slathered with ketchup. Success! He slurps up the treat and goes back for more.

7) In the wild, chimpanzees spend more than half their time foraging for food. They fish for termites (not ketchup) and sometimes roam 7 miles (11 km) a day to look for bugs, leaves, and other morsels.

8) But what takes all day in the forest could take five minutes at the zoo: once the keeper plunks down a plate of fruit and monkey chow, a chimp has the rest of the day to stare into space.

9) But that's changing. Now, for many zoo animals, feeding time is a chance to sharpen their skills by hunting or foraging. To keep the animals on their toes, zookeepers like to scatter or hide food rather than leaving it in one place. That way the animals can spend many enjoyable hours searching and sniffing and climbing for treats.

Let the game begin
. . .

10) With hanging vines and twisting tree trunks, the ape habitat at Lincoln Park Zoo looks a lot like a jungle. It's also a fun house. Trees are booby-trapped with touch pads that set off water misters or scatterguns loaded with food. Scientists like observing how and when chimpanzees figure out the hidden tricks, and the chimpanzees like solving the puzzles and being rewarded with a cooling mist of water or a round of snacks.

11) Other animals get toys that are less high-tech but still fun to play with. Hippos and elephants push big rubber balls, and wolves tug on bits of fur. Of course, toys with food inside are always popular. Lions at the Detroit Zoo got to stalk a zebra, although it wasn't much of a challenge; the zebra was papier-mâché. When they tore open the piñata, the lions were rewarded with a belly full of food.

12) Research has already shown that keeping life interesting changes things for the better. Animals act more naturally—and they get sick less from stress-related illness. They're livelier, and they interact more with friends and family. It just goes to show—a bit of homework keeps you healthy.

Which passage detail supports the responses to question 3?

Accepted Answer

"Research has already shown that keeping life interesting changes things for the better." (paragraph 12)

Answer

The correct answer
"Research has already shown that keeping life interesting changes things for the better." (paragraph 12)

Question 5

Plenty to Do at the Zoo
by Rachel Young

1) Can't wait to start that homework? No? But what if you were stuck in an empty room with no books, no toys, no TV or computer, not even a copy of Ask? "Maybe then homework wouldn't seem so bad," says Steve Ross of the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

2) With keepers to feed them, vets to cure them, and no predators to eat them, animals in a zoo usually live much longer than animals in the wild. Zoo life is safe, but it can also be boring.

3) In the wild, survival is a full-time job, what with finding food, taking care of babies, and steering clear of all the things that might want to eat you. Compared with their wild cousins, says one zoo veterinarian, zoo animals are unemployed.

4) Scientists observing animals in their natural environments realized that some zoo animals were doing all sorts of unnatural things those species don't do in the wild. Tigers paced back and forth endlessly. Elephants bobbed their heads up and down.... Monkeys groomed to the point of giving themselves sores. These are signs of boredom and stress. And scientists have learned that being stressed out can actually make animals, and people, sick.

5) Giving zoo animals food and shelter isn't enough to keep them healthy. They also need something to do. These days, problems like pacing are less common because zoos try to make life interesting for the animals that live there, with habitats, games, and even toys that encourage natural skills and behaviors. These things are just as important for the animals' good health as the proper diet or a visit from the vet.

Work for your food

6) Tomatoey and sweet, the smell of ketchup wafts from inside a big artificial termite mound in the corner of the ape habitat at Lincoln Park Zoo. One chimpanzee is hungry for a taste. He grabs a piece of hay and tries to poke it into a small hole in the mound, but the hay is too limp and flexible. Frustrated, the chimpanzee presses his lips against the hole and reaches in with his tongue. Again, no luck. The hole is too deep and the ketchup too far away. Finally, he grabs a branch and goes to work, ripping off leaves and shredding bark until he has a narrow stick that just fits in the hole. When he pulls the stick out, the end is slathered with ketchup. Success! He slurps up the treat and goes back for more.

7) In the wild, chimpanzees spend more than half their time foraging for food. They fish for termites (not ketchup) and sometimes roam 7 miles (11 km) a day to look for bugs, leaves, and other morsels.

8) But what takes all day in the forest could take five minutes at the zoo: once the keeper plunks down a plate of fruit and monkey chow, a chimp has the rest of the day to stare into space.

9) But that's changing. Now, for many zoo animals, feeding time is a chance to sharpen their skills by hunting or foraging. To keep the animals on their toes, zookeepers like to scatter or hide food rather than leaving it in one place. That way the animals can spend many enjoyable hours searching and sniffing and climbing for treats.

Let the game begin
. . .

10) With hanging vines and twisting tree trunks, the ape habitat at Lincoln Park Zoo looks a lot like a jungle. It's also a fun house. Trees are booby-trapped with touch pads that set off water misters or scatterguns loaded with food. Scientists like observing how and when chimpanzees figure out the hidden tricks, and the chimpanzees like solving the puzzles and being rewarded with a cooling mist of water or a round of snacks.

11) Other animals get toys that are less high-tech but still fun to play with. Hippos and elephants push big rubber balls, and wolves tug on bits of fur. Of course, toys with food inside are always popular. Lions at the Detroit Zoo got to stalk a zebra, although it wasn't much of a challenge; the zebra was papier-mâché. When they tore open the piñata, the lions were rewarded with a belly full of food.

12) Research has already shown that keeping life interesting changes things for the better. Animals act more naturally—and they get sick less from stress-related illness. They're livelier, and they interact more with friends and family. It just goes to show—a bit of homework keeps you healthy.

Choose two reasons why zoo animals live longer than wild animals.

Accepted Answer

Zoo animals do not have predators hunting them.

Answer

Correct answer:
Zoo animals do not have predators hunting them.
Zoo animals have food provided for them.

AzM2 Practice Test

AzM2 Practice Test

AzM2 Reading Test 2