Señor Noboa
1. In "Senor Noboa," which statement best describes how Senor Noboa and his father come to amass their vast property?
a. They stumbled into repeated lucky opportunities.
b. They forced other landowners into selling their land cheaply.
c. They used their fortunes to spend large sums on massive stretches of land.
d. They acquired the land through lengthy negotiations and complex treaties.
b. They forced other landowners into selling their land cheaply.
A universal lesson or message that is shared through different forms of media.
Theme
25 Which detail states where the central idea of the text emerges?
A “It hasn’t been easy to design an energy-efficient lighting appliance that consumers embrace as warmly as the gadget that Thomas Edison first fashioned 131 years ago in a Menlo Park, New Jersey, laboratory with carbonized thread from his wife’s sewing kit.”
B “Edison’s technology so transformed the candlelit world that his lightbulb has stood for years as the iconic image of a new idea. And it’s a shape that 21st-century consumers are reluctant to leave behind, even though Edison’s incandescent lightbulb wastes energy by literally giving off more heat than light.”
C “ ‘We think consumers want a lightbulb that looks like a lightbulb,’ says Stephanie Anderson, director of communications at Osram Sylvania, of Danvers, Massachusetts, part of Germany’s Siemens AG. Osram Sylvania already has had an LED bulb designed as a replacement for the 40-watt incandescent in Lowe’s stores for several months.”
D “The twisty look of the main energy-saving home bulb now on the market, the compact-fluorescent (CFL), is seen by the lighting industry as one of a series of stumbling blocks that has prevented the product from gaining deep acceptan
A “It hasn’t been easy to design an energy-efficient lighting appliance that consumers embrace as warmly as the gadget that Thomas Edison first fashioned 131 years ago in a Menlo Park, New Jersey, laboratory with carbonized thread from his wife’s sewing kit.”
31 For what purpose did the author include information about Edison’s “candlelit world” crafted “with carbonized thread from his wife’s sewing kit”?
A to remind the audience that consumers are frugal people who prefer inexpensive products
B to remind the audience that consumers are younger people who prefer modern goods
C to remind the audience that consumers are basic people who prefer simple designs
D to remind the audience that consumers are older people who prefer new technology
C to remind the audience that consumers are basic people who prefer simple designs
2. In "Señor Noboa," why do the laborers turn their backs and refuse to look at Señor Noboa when he comes to visit?
a. They are plotting a rebellion against him.
b. They want to show their respect and deference to him.
c. They want to show their defiance to his unjust labor practices.
d. They superstitiously believe that looking in his face causes death.
d. They superstitiously believe that looking in his face causes death.
A conclusion derived from logical reasoning after looking at all available evidence.
Inference
26 What does the word fashioned mean in paragraph 7?
A inhibited
B envisioned
C demolished
D formulated
D formulated
30 What detail from the text supports the author’s claim that General Electric’s highefficiency LED bulb is an illumination breakthrough?
A “ ‘LEDs are basically chips you can use in your computer, and are temperature-sensitive.’ ”
B “Edison’s technology so transformed the candlelit world that his lightbulb has stood for years as the iconic image of a new idea.”
C “ ‘We think consumers want a lightbulb that looks like a lightbulb.’ ”
D “Lighting experts tout long-lasting, ultra-low-energy light-emitting diodes (LEDs)—first seen as indicator lights on appliances—as the remedy for virtually all of these issues."
D “Lighting experts tout long-lasting, ultra-low-energy light-emitting diodes (LEDs)—first seen as indicator lights on appliances—as the remedy for virtually all of these issues."
3. In "Senor Noboa," which two statements best describe Senor Noboa's response to the laborers' reaction to him?
a. He resolves to persuade them that he is fair to them.
b. He feels angry at their superiority toward a superior.
c. He realizes that their legends about him can help him bully them.
d. He is relieved that they show the appropriate respect for his position.
e. He feels delighted that they attribute so much unearned power to him.
c. He realizes that their legends about him can help him bully them.
e. He feels delighted that they attribute so much unearned power to him.
To critically examine parts of a text to make a commentary about its meaning as a whole.
27 Which statement from the text supports the author’s claim in paragraph 7?
A “The twisty look of the main energy-saving home bulb now on the market, the compact-fluorescent (CFL), is seen by the lighting industry as one of a series of stumbling blocks that has prevented the product from gaining deep acceptance.”
B “A U.S. government survey in 2009 found that only 11 percent of household sockets have CFLs.”
C “Lighting experts tout long-lasting, ultra-low-energy light-emitting diodes (LEDs)—first seen as indicator lights on appliances—as the remedy for virtually all of these issues.”
D “Years of research have produced ever-brighter and ever-whiter LEDs, with lighting manufacturers now prepared to offer products they say are good enough for the living room lamp.”
A “The twisty look of the main energy-saving home bulb now on the market, the compact-fluorescent (CFL), is seen by the lighting industry as one of a series of stumbling blocks that has prevented the product from gaining deep acceptance.”
32 How did the author make the connection between Edison’s lightbulb and the high-efficiency lighting choices available today?
A by evaluating the current experts’ solution for most of the problematic issues with the incandescent lightbulb
B by contrasting the benefits of innovative lighting technology with the popularity of traditional lighting
C by outlining the development of technology that transformed the world’s lighting preferences from candles to LEDs
D by reporting on Osram Sylvania and Philips’s announcement of a breakthrough jet-engine technology to keep LED bulbs cool RELEASED
B by contrasting the benefits of innovative lighting technology with the popularity of traditional lighting
4. In "Señor Noboa," what does Señor Noboa do when he encounters his laborers?
a. He makes a harsh speech to threaten them into continued hard work.
b. He laughs at them and mocks them for their display of insubordination.
c. He boasts about the impressive quantity of crops produced in the last year.
d. He demands that they demonstrate proper respect for him and look at him.
a. He makes a harsh speech to threaten them into continued hard work.
The sequence of events in a story, play, or movie.
Plot
28 What can be inferred from the sentence below in paragraph 8?
“Edison’s technology so transformed the candlelit world that his lightbulb has stood for years as the iconic image of a new idea.”
A The lightbulb produces a significant amount of energy.
B The lightbulb represents any fresh and original concept.
C The lightbulb has come to represent hope.
D The lightbulb has replaced the candle.
B The lightbulb represents any fresh and original concept.
Metaphor
10. What is the main effect of the imagery in the following lines from "Senor Noboa"?
They all remember when three years ago a machine shredded the hands of the Chinaman Ramirez, and he died with the blood spurting from his wounds while he got paler and paler until he was white as a piece of paper.
a. It underscores the cruelty and apathy of the workers.
b. It emphasizes the carelessness of the workers and their inability to follow proper procedures.
c. It underscores the intensity and terror of the deaths allegedly caused by the curse of Señor Noboa.
d. It emphasizes the business owners' apathy toward the danger their workers face on the plantation.
c. It underscores the intensity and terror of the deaths allegedly caused by the curse of Señor Noboa.
The attitude an author takes toward the subject or topic of a text is generally revealed through word choice, perspective, or point of view.
Tone
29 What is the effect of the metaphor in paragraph 13? “ ‘Sixty watts is the holy grail of the LED replacement game.’ ”
A It indicates just how far companies will go to win. B It signifies the ultimate goal of the energy companies.
C It shows what is no longer desirable in the energy industry.
D It marks the competitive nature of energy-related technology.
B It signifies the ultimate goal of the energy companies.
An opinion stated as a fact that can be argued against and supported by credible evidence.
Claim