Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 3rd Edition

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16. From the overall context of the passage, it is most
likely that the word lamentable at the beginning
of the third paragraph, means
a. laughable.
b. sad.
c. insane.
d. inspired.
17. Which of the following does the radar screen
image underscore?
a. the narrator’s absorption in gadgets and the
modern world
b. the narrator’s daydreaming nature
c. the narrator’s uneasy sense of herself in the
same lineage as her mother and grandmother
d. all of the above
18. In revising this story, the author is considering
taking out the reference to “butterscotch and
bitter sticks” and instead describing the candy
as “bitter with a sweet under-taste.” Which is
better—the original or this alternative
description—and why?
a. the original, because it leaves the actual taste
up to the reader’s imagination
b. the original, because it is more vivid and exact
c. the alternative, because it is more brief and to
the point
d. the alternative, because it is more vivid and
exact

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19. Assume this piece is fiction and could have been
written from any point of view. What would a
switch to third person achieve?
a. Readers would be somewhat distanced from
the narrator’s feelings.
b. The author would have more latitude to
express the narrator’s feelings.
c. Readers would be more likely to identify with
the feelings expressed.
d. The grandmother’s feelings would become
more apparent.
20. In a previous version of this story, the author
described the garden as having “lush hedges and
quaint metal chairs.” Why is it more effective to
describe the hedges as “overgrown” and the
chairs as “rusted”?