PARCC Reading Comprehension Practice Test story 9
40. The idea of flying an aircraft was ______ to some people.
40. B: "Repulsive" means distasteful. It does not mean boring (A), exciting (C), or needless (D).
41. People thought that the Wright brothers had ______.
41. A: "Impulsive" means acting on impulse, i.e. acting without thinking. People thinking the Wrights "impulsive fools" does not mean they thought the Wrights had been negatively influenced (B), too cautious (C), mistaken (D), or had acted in a negative way (E).
42. The Wrights' interest in flight grew into a ______.
42. C: A "compulsion" is a need or an urge to act. It is not a financial empire (A), a plan (B), or a foolish thought (D).
43. Lilienthal's idea about controlling airborne vehicles was _________ the Wrights.
43. C: "Repellent" means offensive or hateful; in other words, Lilienthal's idea was disliked by the Wrights. It does not mean his idea was opposite to the idea of (B) the Wrights. It means the opposite of its being accepted by (D) the Wrights. They found his idea unpleasant rather than improving (E) on it.
44. The old tables were _________ and replaced by the first reliable figures for air pressure on curved surfaces.
44. B: "Repealed" means invalidated, i.e. disproven or overturned. It does not mean destroyed (A); multiplied (C), i.e. increased/approved (D), an antonym; or unused (E).
45. The Wrights designed and built their own source of _________.
45. A: "Propulsion" is force for propelling or moving forward. It does not mean force for turning around (B), turning (C) (oscillation perhaps), or force for going backward (D) (like repulsion).
