FREE IBA Verbal Abilities Questions and Answers
Sometimes we are ill ourselves, and even ______ who have the good fortune to enjoy sound health have to face the fact of their own mortality.
Explanation:
"Those" is used here to refer to people in general who enjoy good health. It serves as a pronoun to represent a group of individuals.
In the midst of all this, only the real few are blessed _______ lasting and rewarding relationships, and even these relationships, along with everything that constitutes a human life are wholly transient.
Explanation:
"Blessed of lasting and rewarding relationships" suggests that the individuals are fortunate to have such relationships. "Of" is used to indicate possession or association, so in this context, it indicates that the individuals are blessed with or possess lasting and rewarding relationships.
The Earth's past climate, including temperature and elements in the atmosphere, has recently been studied by analyzing ice samples from Greenland and Antarctica. The air bubbles in the ice have shown that, over the past 160,000 years, there has been a close correlation between temperature changes and the level of natural greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane. One recent analysis from Greenland showed that at the end of the last glacial period (when the great ice sheets began to retreat to their present position), temperatures in southern Greenland rose from 5 to 7 degrees in about 100 years.
Air bubbles are not the only method of determining characteristics of the Earth's ancient climate history. Analysis of dust layers from ancient volcanic activity is another such method; as is the study of ice cores, which interpret past solar activity that may have affected our climate.
This passage states that:
Explanation:
The passage discusses various methods, such as analyzing ice samples and dust layers from volcanic activity, that scientists use to study Earth's ancient climate history. This indicates that there are multiple sources of information available for understanding past climate conditions.
The aural component of balance is critical for postural control during ambulation.
Aural means related to the:
Explanation:
"Aural" refers to anything related to the sense of hearing or the ears. In the given sentence, it suggests that the auditory component or the sense of hearing is crucial for maintaining balance during walking (ambulation).
Jazz is a peculiarly American contribution to Western culture. It was born out of the unique experience of American Blacks. Although its history is not entirely clear, jazz obviously has roots in the rhythm patterns and melodic lines of Africa, the tradition of Christian spirituals as sung by slave communities, the music of the blues as developed in the Deep South, and ragtime.
According to this passage, one can conclude that:
Explanation:
The passage mentions that the history of jazz is not entirely clear, indicating that there are challenges in tracing its exact origins. This suggests that there is some difficulty in determining the precise beginnings of jazz music.
In most cases, little birds lay little eggs. The kiwi is an astonishing exception to this rule--it is a smallish bird that lays a big egg. The kiwi, a flightless bird found in New Zealand, weighs about four pounds, and its egg weighs, believe it or not, about one pound. That is one-fourth of the bird's body weight! If an ostrich laid an egg that was in the same proportion to the ostrich as the kiwi egg is to the kiwi, an ostrich egg would weigh a whopping seventy-five pounds instead of * the usual three pounds.
Which statement below best describes the organizational method used in this passage?
Explanation:
The passage compares the size of kiwi eggs to the size of kiwi birds and then contrasts it with the potential size of ostrich eggs if they followed the same proportion. It focuses on comparing the relative sizes of eggs to the size of the bird species, making it a comparison/contrast organizational method.
Huge beasts such as the dinosaur have never really become extinct. Mothra, a giant caterpillar who later becomes a moth, destroys Tokyo, and stars in the 1962 Japanese film named for him.
Mothra is born, dies, and reborn regularly on classic movie channels. In Japan Mothra is one of the most popular films ever made. Mothra has survived the creation of more current scary creatures such as giant apes, extraterrestrial beings, and swamp creatures. More than 30 years after his creation, Mothra still lives.
The main subject of the passage is:
Explanation:
The passage primarily discusses the enduring popularity and longevity of Mothra as a character in Japanese films, highlighting how it remains a beloved figure even after the emergence of newer scary creatures.
The bouncer's countenance discouraged brawls.
Countenance means:
Explanation:
"Countenance" refers to a person's facial expression or demeanor. In this context, the bouncer's countenance, or facial expression, discouraged brawls, implying that the expression on the bouncer's face discouraged people from engaging in fights or brawls.
The child apprised of her father's authority and behaved herself in church.
Apprised means:
Explanation:
"Apprised" means to inform or notify someone about something. In this context, the child became aware of her father's authority, likely through previous communication or observation, and behaved accordingly in church. Thus, "noted" best captures the meaning of "apprised" in this sentence, indicating that the child took note of her father's authority.
French physicist Charles Fabry found ozone gas in the atmosphere in 1913. At room temperature, ozone is a colorless gas; it condenses to a dark blue liquid at -170 F. At temperatures above the boiling point of water, 212 F, it decomposes. Ozone is all around us.
After a thunderstorm, or around electrical equipment, ozone is often detected as a sharp odor.
Ozone is used as a strong oxidizing agent, a bleaching agent, and to sterilize drinking water. This gas is also highly reactive. For example, rubber insulation around a car's spark plug wires will need to be replaced eventually, due to the small amounts of ozone produced when electricity flows from the engine to the plug.
The passage implies that:
Explanation:
The passage describes various properties and characteristics of ozone, including its discovery by Charles Fabry, its physical properties, and its natural occurrence in the atmosphere. Additionally, it mentions some practical uses of ozone, indicating that it is a naturally existing component of the Earth's atmosphere.
Many people who have come close to death from drowning, cardiac arrest, or other causes have described near-death experiences--profound, subjective events that sometimes result in dramatic changes in values, beliefs, behavior, and attitudes toward life and death. These experiences often include a new clarity of thinking, a feeling of well-being, a sense of being out of the body, and visions of bright light or mystical encounters. Such experiences have been reported by an estimated 30 to 40 percent of hospital patients who were revived after coming close to death and about 5 percent of adult Americans in a nationwide poll. Near-death experiences have been explained as a response to a perceived threat of death (a psychological theory); as a result of biological states that accompany the process of dying (a physiological theory); and as a foretaste of an actual state of bliss after death (a transcendental theory).
The primary purpose of this passage is to:
Explanation:
The passage provides information about near-death experiences, including their characteristics, prevalence among hospital patients and the general population, and various theories explaining their occurrence. The primary purpose is to educate the reader about this phenomenon.