R Practice Test 5

Read the following passage.

1. Anyone who has ever lived in a city or suburb has likely encountered crows. Over 31 species can be found worldwide, with the exception of South America and Antarctica. Historically, these creatures were synonymous with death and the afterlife in many cultures. Nowadays, most people regard crows as a nuisance since they are loud and messy, especially in large groups. Recent research, however, has revealed that these birds are actually far more remarkable than previously thought. In fact, crow behavior has striking similarities to that of humans.
   
   B.Like people, crows are highly social creatures. Their lives revolve around the family. Crow families generally consist of two parents and anywhere from two to fifteen offspring, though the average family size is four. Most species of crows do not breed until approximately four years old, and only about half of their offspring survive the first year of life. During the phase prior to reproduction, young crows help their parents rear their siblings. Groups of crows, often referred to as a “murder,” also cooperate to guard their territory from predators.
   
   C. Although classified as songbirds, crows lack melodic voices. Their call is often perceived as a coarse “caw” to the human ear. Nonetheless, these creatures have an intricate communication system consisting of over 250 distinct cries that convey a variety of messages such as alarm, feeding, assembly, and fighting. Their language comprises two dialects, one for interacting with neighbouring crows and another quieter dialect reserved for relatives. Crows are also able to imitate the sounds of other species, including some elements of human speech. Because crows in different geographical areas may not use or comprehend the same calls, it makes deciphering the language difficult for researchers.
   
   D. Scientists have only recently begun studying crows and have been astonished by the extent of their intelligence. One study has revealed that crows can both use and make tools. This is a significant discovery as only two other species of animals can do so— elephants and chimpanzees. In another study, crows discovered and taught others how to get nuts from a vending machine by inserting coins that were scattered on the ground. Crows are also very adaptable creatures that thrive in cities. In Tokyo, where many people hang their laundry outside to dry, crows gather metal hangers to build nests since they are more readily available than the proper size twigs. Scientists now realize that crows have the intellectual capacity to plan, solve problems, and teach new behaviours to others.
   
   E. Not given in any of the above paragraphs.

Decide which paragraph, A to D, has the information given in each statement below. Select E if the information is not given in any of the paragraphs.

Read the following article from a website.

BC's Annual School Report released today has officials, teachers, parents, and students lined up on both sides of the debate over province-wide standardized testing of grade 4 and 7 students. No one was surprised to hear students slander the five-hour battery of reading, writing, and math exams, but most interviewed parents supported the yearly assessment, whose results are used to publicly rank schools based on students' overall scores. Sophie Bloom, mother of a Whitesands Elementary School kindergartener, applauds the test—and heeds the rankings. "As a taxpayer and parent, I expect access to this kind of information. I want my child at the top school. Whitesands doesn't measure up. I'm considering Oceanview."

Oceanview School principal Christine Shelley admits she has mixed feelings about compelling teachers to administer the provincially mandated tests but agrees parents have every right to expect statistics on school outcomes, provided they don't use them to unfairly compare public and private schools. "Standardized tests hold teachers and schools appropriately answerable to their stakeholders. Without statistics on learning outcomes, how could we ensure schools are doing what they're publicly funded and mandated to do?"

Adam Birch, who teaches Grade Four at Forestgrove Elementary, is skeptical of the assessments but grudgingly complies. "Standardized testing reinforces the social myth that if we're not competing, we're unproductive," says Birch. "It overlooks many forms of intelligence and mostly rewards test-taking ability. Many gifted students fail these tests. And the tests are like a snapshot; they tell us nothing about a student's improvement."

At Valleyside Middle School, grade seven teacher Gilles Legault is on the brink of mutiny. "Every classroom hour I spend on ‘test prep' is one hour stolen from an actually beneficial learning activity." Legault, whose school outperformed both Oceanview and Forestgrove, concedes the tests provide relevant comparative data but thinks such comparisons merely confirm what we already know: schools in affluent neighborhoods do better. "For this common knowledge," Legault says, "standardized testing squanders 15 million dollars of provincial funds annually. Instead, why not hire more teachers, reduce class sizes, improve services?"

Using the drop-down menu (  ), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.

While I have genuine sympathy for the teachers' opinions, I hope none chooses to 6.______________  their boss's orders anytime soon. School teachers may be right in saying

that standardized testing is 7. ______________  but as long as they are collecting salaries, they need to follow the procedures set out in their job descriptions. After all, as was implied in the article, school teachers are civil servants answerable to 8. ______________  stakeholders. The issue of whether or not these stakeholders' agendas have children's best interests at heart was 9. ______________   in Legault's comments. But that's a separate issue. The way to stop standardized testing in schools, if that's what is wanted, is to remove from power the 10. ______________ that mandate them.