C2 Reading Comprehension 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage includes the sentence: 'The critics, far from dismissing the novel, lavished it with qualified praise.' What does 'qualified praise' mean?
- Praise from credentialed experts only
- Praise that is unreserved and enthusiastic
- Praise that comes with reservations or conditions (Correct answer)
- Praise delivered in formal language
Correct answer: Praise that comes with reservations or conditions
Qualified praise means praise accompanied by reservations, caveats, or limitations — not unrestrained admiration.
Question 2: In a complex text, the phrase 'ipso facto' is used. A C2 reader understands this Latin phrase to mean:
- In theory but not in practice
- By that very fact or action itself (Correct answer)
- In spite of the evidence
- According to legal precedent
Correct answer: By that very fact or action itself
'Ipso facto' is Latin for 'by the fact itself,' meaning something is a direct logical consequence of an action.
Question 3: An author uses an extended metaphor comparing a bureaucratic system to a 'labyrinthine maze with no Ariadne's thread.' What does this imply?
- The system is straightforward but poorly documented
- The system is complex and there is no guide or solution to navigate it (Correct answer)
- The system was designed by a mythological figure
- The system occasionally provides partial assistance
Correct answer: The system is complex and there is no guide or solution to navigate it
Ariadne's thread helped Theseus navigate the labyrinth; its absence here implies the system has no guiding solution or aid.
Question 4: A passage argues a position, then states: 'To be sure, counterarguments exist.' The phrase 'to be sure' signals that the author is about to:
- Abandon their main argument entirely
- Provide certainty about a contested claim
- Acknowledge an opposing view before reasserting the main claim (Correct answer)
- Introduce a new and unrelated argument
Correct answer: Acknowledge an opposing view before reasserting the main claim
'To be sure' is a concessive phrase signaling acknowledgment of a counterpoint, typically before the author reaffirms their position.
Question 5: The word 'tendentious' in an academic passage most accurately describes writing that is:
- Objective and rigorously balanced
- Deliberately biased toward a particular cause or point of view (Correct answer)
- Written in a deliberately obscure style
- Cautiously tentative in its conclusions
Correct answer: Deliberately biased toward a particular cause or point of view
Tendentious describes writing that promotes a particular cause or viewpoint in a biased or partisan way.
Question 6: A reader encounters a passage where the narrator describes events with apparent calm but uses words like 'obliterated,' 'ravaged,' and 'gutted.' This tension is best described as:
- Hyperbole used for comic effect
- Ironic understatement where the neutral tone contradicts the violent diction (Correct answer)
- A stylistic error by the author
- A sign of an unreliable narrator who misunderstands events
Correct answer: Ironic understatement where the neutral tone contradicts the violent diction
The dissonance between calm narration and violent vocabulary creates ironic understatement, a sophisticated stylistic effect.
Question 7: When a C2-level reader is asked to evaluate the author's 'rhetorical stance,' they are being asked to assess:
- The grammatical accuracy of the author's sentences
- The author's purpose, audience relationship, and persuasive approach in the text (Correct answer)
- The factual accuracy of the claims made in the text
- The author's biographical background and credentials
Correct answer: The author's purpose, audience relationship, and persuasive approach in the text
Rhetorical stance encompasses the author's relationship to their audience, their purpose, and how their persuasive strategies position them within the argument.
C2 Reading Comprehension 3
A passage includes the sentence: 'The critics, far from dismissing the novel, lavished it with qualified praise.' What does 'qualified praise' mean?