FREE NBT Academic Literacy Questions and Answers

Question 1

The Influence of Advertising - Paragraph 1:

Advertising was initially meant to make people aware of the goods available in the market. It was as simple as announcing what you have in your store or the services you offer on your premises. Over the years, advertising has evolved into a major industry that goes beyond informing, to persuading and influencing. It is a form of brainwashing consumers.

The overall purpose of paragraph 1 is to do the following: (communicative function)

Accepted Answer

indicate that advertising has changed to become influencing

Answer

Explanation:
Paragraph 1 discusses the evolution of advertising from a simple means of informing consumers about available goods to a more complex practice that aims to persuade and influence consumer behavior. This evolution is highlighted by the statement that advertising has become a form of brainwashing consumers. Therefore, option d best captures the overall purpose of the paragraph.

Question 2

The Influence of Advertising - Paragraph 4:

In a nutshell, advertising does influence people. Most of the advertisements are filled with images that equate emotional well-being with material acquisition and associate independence and leisure with the consumption of alcohol. Advertising also makes people lavish their effect on products rather than real people, thereby destroying human relationships. We have become trapped in the web of advertising where products like brands of beer and cigarettes take over our minds, doing away with our core family values.

In paragraph 4, we read that “Most advertisements … associate independence and leisure with consumption of alcohol.” This suggests that advertisements mainly communicate the message that (inferencing):

Accepted Answer

independence and leisure encourage people to drink alcohol

Answer

Explanation:
Paragraph 4 suggests that advertisements often associate independence and leisure with the consumption of alcohol. This implies that the message conveyed by these advertisements is that being independent and having leisure time are linked to drinking alcohol. Therefore, option A best reflects the inference drawn from this statement.

Question 3

The Influence of Advertising - Paragraph 2:

Advertising has become a type of culture with ardent followers. In the process, it attracts enviable attention from manufacturers and service providers who fancy an edge over their competitors. Unfortunately, in keeping with the ever-increasing demands of the manufacturers, the advertisers have resorted to creating unnecessary wants and excess consumption in most of us. This is a craving for harmful products that we are better off without. It preys on our minds, rendering us completely irrational. The billboards (hoardings), television, and radio advertisements target us from a very early age, forming our view of the world as we grow into adults.

In the first sentence of paragraph 2, the phrase “has become” signals that the change in advertising: (grammar/syntax)

Accepted Answer

started in the past and is still in progress

Answer

Explanation:
The phrase "has become" in the first sentence of paragraph 2 indicates an ongoing process. It suggests that advertising has evolved into a type of culture and continues to have a significant impact on society. Therefore, option c best reflects the meaning conveyed by this phrase in the context of the paragraph.

Question 4

The Influence of Advertising - Paragraph 2:

Advertising has become a type of culture with ardent followers. In the process, it attracts enviable attention from manufacturers and service providers who fancy an edge over their competitors. Unfortunately, in keeping with the ever-increasing demands of the manufacturers, the advertisers have resorted to creating unnecessary wants and excess consumption in most of us. This is a craving for harmful products that we are better off without. It preys on our minds, rendering us completely irrational. The billboards (hoardings), television, and radio advertisements target us from a very early age, forming our view of the world as we grow into adults.

In paragraph 2, the word “ardent” can be substituted with the word: (vocabulary)

Accepted Answer

passionate

Answer

Explanation:
In the context of the paragraph, the word "ardent" describes the followers of advertising as enthusiastic and devoted. A suitable synonym for "ardent" in this context would be "passionate," which conveys a strong sense of dedication and enthusiasm. Therefore, option a is the most appropriate substitution for the word "ardent" in this sentence.

Question 5

The Influence of Advertising - Paragraph 2:

Advertising has become a type of culture with ardent followers. In the process, it attracts enviable attention from manufacturers and service providers who fancy an edge over their competitors. Unfortunately, in keeping with the ever-increasing demands of the manufacturers, the advertisers have resorted to creating unnecessary wants and excess consumption in most of us. This is a craving for harmful products that we are better off without. It preys on our minds, rendering us completely irrational. The billboards (hoardings), television, and radio advertisements target us from a very early age, forming our view of the world as we grow into adults.

In paragraph 2, we read: “This is a craving for harmful products that we are better off without.” In this sentence, the word “This” mainly refers to (cohesion)

Accepted Answer

unnecessary wants

Answer

Explanation:
In the context of the paragraph, the word "This" refers to the preceding statement about advertisers creating unnecessary wants and excess consumption. Therefore, option c, "unnecessary wants," is the term to which "This" mainly refers in the sentence.

(NBT) National Benchmark Test Practice Test

(NBT) National Benchmark Test Practice Test

FREE NBT Academic Literacy Questions and Answers