C2 Reading Comprehension 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A C2 reader encounters the phrase 'the legislation was not without its detractors.' What does this most precisely mean?
- The legislation had no supporters
- The legislation faced some opposition (Correct answer)
- The legislation was widely celebrated
- The legislation was poorly written
Correct answer: The legislation faced some opposition
'Not without its detractors' is a double negative meaning the legislation did have critics or opponents.
Question 2: When an author describes a character as 'Sisyphean in his ambitions,' the most accurate interpretation is that the character:
- Is highly successful and goal-oriented
- Pursues unattainable goals through endless, futile effort (Correct answer)
- Lacks any meaningful purpose in life
- Achieves great things through perseverance
Correct answer: Pursues unattainable goals through endless, futile effort
Sisyphean alludes to the myth of Sisyphus, condemned to roll a boulder uphill forever, symbolizing endless futile effort.
Question 3: A passage states: 'While proponents hailed the reform as transformative, its opponents decried it as a Pyrrhic victory for progressives.' What does 'Pyrrhic victory' imply here?
- A victory achieved with great personal sacrifice or at too high a cost (Correct answer)
- A victory that was unexpected and surprising
- A partial victory with mixed results
- A victory that was widely celebrated
Correct answer: A victory achieved with great personal sacrifice or at too high a cost
A Pyrrhic victory is one won at such a great cost that it is tantamount to defeat, referencing King Pyrrhus's costly battles.
Question 4: In academic prose, a writer states: 'The evidence is, at best, circumstantial.' The phrase 'at best' functions here to:
- Affirm the strength of the evidence
- Introduce an optimistic assessment of the evidence
- Concede that even the most favorable reading of the evidence is limited (Correct answer)
- Suggest the evidence is entirely fabricated
Correct answer: Concede that even the most favorable reading of the evidence is limited
'At best' signals that even in the most favorable interpretation, the evidence is only circumstantial — a hedging device indicating its weakness.
Question 5: A literary passage describes a setting as 'suffused with a sepulchral stillness.' The word 'sepulchral' most nearly means:
- Joyful and celebratory
- Relating to tombs or death; gloomy (Correct answer)
- Chaotic and disorganized
- Bright and luminous
Correct answer: Relating to tombs or death; gloomy
Sepulchral derives from 'sepulchre' (tomb) and describes a gloomy, deathly quiet atmosphere.
Question 6: An author writes: 'Her argument, though superficially persuasive, ultimately founders on its own internal contradictions.' The word 'founders' in this context means:
- Originates or establishes itself
- Fails or collapses (Correct answer)
- Strengthens through repetition
- Becomes more nuanced
Correct answer: Fails or collapses
To 'founder' means to fail or break down, often used when a ship sinks — here the argument collapses under its own contradictions.
Question 7: Which reading strategy is most appropriate when a C2-level reader encounters a passage dense with subordinate clauses and embedded qualifications?
- Read only topic sentences and skip subordinate clauses entirely
- Identify the main clause first, then interpret each qualification's relationship to it (Correct answer)
- Treat every clause as equally important without distinguishing main from subordinate
- Summarize the passage from memory after a single rapid read
Correct answer: Identify the main clause first, then interpret each qualification's relationship to it
Identifying the main clause grounds the reader's understanding, allowing subordinate clauses and qualifications to be interpreted as modifiers or caveats.
C2 Reading Comprehension 2
A C2 reader encounters the phrase 'the legislation was not without its detractors.' What does this most precisely mean?