READING COMPREHENSION TEST

Submitted By: Vanessa Rujipatanakul 10:02

PASSAGE 1

A permeable membrane is a biological or synthetic material that has tiny holes in it,
Line 1
allowing small particles (including water molecules and ions) to move through it. A
semipermeable membrane is a membrane that only allows certain types of particles to move
through it under certain conditions.
You can think of it as being like a sheet of biological fabric with holes in it, where some
Line 5 molecules can fit through the holes and others can't. However, semipermeable membranes can be
a bit more complicated than that, because the way particles move can depend on the conditions on
either side. For example, particles can move fast, slowly, or not at all depending on how the
concentration, pressure, and temperature compares on each side of the membrane.
Line 9
Generally, particles move through a semipermeable membrane from areas of high
concentration to areas of low concentration. This is a process called diffusion. Plants and animals
are made up of cells. It is here that we find the most common example of a semipermeable
membrane in action - a process called osmosis.
Line 13
Osmosis is where solvent molecules (usually water) move from one side of a cell
membrane to the other. This happens because the concentration of a solute is higher on one side.
When two nearby concentrations are different, materials will tend to spread out to equalize the
concentration. That's why, for example, if you put a drop of food coloring in some water it will
Line 17
gradually spread through the whole water.
source: http://study.com/academy/lesson/semipermeable-membrane-definition-lesson-quiz.html

1. The word permeable in line 1 is closest in meaning to

a) absorbent
b) transparent
c) flexible
d) smooth

2. The word solvent in line 14 is closest in meaning to

a) solution
b) liquid
c) solid
d) gas

3. The word this in line 15 refers to

a) diffusion
b) membrane
c) osmosis
d) particle

4. What is a semipermeable membrane?

a) a substance in the human body
b) a hole that anything can get through
c) a layer that only lets some materials to pass through
d) a molecule founded in plants cells

1
5. Which of the following does NOT affect the speed of particles movement?
a) the difference in temperature inside and outside of the membrane
b) the concentration of the solution
c) the pressure inside the cell
d) the type of the cell membrane

6. According to the passage, what is diffusion?

a) organelles production in the cytoplasm
b) a process of arranging protein sequences
c) particles movement across the membrane
d) combining materials in the cell

7. According to the passage, what is the purpose of osmosis?

a) to make the concentration of solutes on the outside higher than the inside
b) to make the concentration of solutes on the inside higher than the outside
c) to make the concentration of solvent on the inside higher than the outside
d) to balance the concentration of solutes on both sides

8. What is NOT mentioned in the passage?

a) types of membranes
b) the factors that affect the movement of the particles
c) how solutes dissolve in a solvent
d) example of an osmosis

9. According to the passage, what can be inferred about the osmosis process?
a) it is when water moves pass through the semipermeable membrane
b) this process is only happened in plants
c) solutes use this process to move across the membrane
d) it happens once in your lifetime

10. What does the fourth paragraph talk about?

a) the differences between diffusion and osmosis
b) the factors that influence osmosis to reverse
c) the process and the cause of osmosis
d) the result of an experiment about diffusion

2
 PASSAGE 2

Line 1 About 2,500 years ago, Greece was one of the most important places in the ancient world.
The Greeks were great thinkers, warriors, writers, actors, athletes, artists, architects and
politicians. The Greeks called themselves 'Hellenes' and their land was 'Hellas'. The name
Greeks was given to the people of Greece later by the Romans. They lived in mainland Greece
Line 5 and the Greek islands, but also in colonies scattered around the Mediterranean Sea. There were
Greeks in Italy, Sicily, Turkey, North Africa, and as far west as France.
Ancient Greece had a warm, dry climate, as Greece does today. Most people lived in
villages or in the countryside. Many Greeks were poor and life was hard, because farmland, water
and timber for building were scarce. They sailed the sea to trade and find new lands. The Greeks
Line 10 took their ideas with them and they started a way of life that's similar to the one we have today.
People have been living in Greece for over 40,000 years. The earliest settlers mostly lived
a simple hunter-gatherer or farming lifestyle. The Minoans were the first great Greek civilisation.
They didn't live on mainland Greece but on the nearby island of Crete, between 2200 BC and
1450 BC. They were known as the Minoans after their legendary king, Minos.
Line 15 After the Minoans came the Mycenaean civilisation, from mainland Greece. They were
fine builders and traders, but they were also great soldiers. They famously fought in the battle of
Troy. Homer, an important Greek writer, told stories of the Mycenaean age in his books the Iliad
and the Odyssey. After the Mycenaean age ended in about 1100 BC, Greece entered a Dark Age.
It is known as a dark age because nobody knows much about what happened - all written
Line 20 language and art disappeared.
source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zxytpv4

1. The word colonies in line 5 is closest in meaning to

a) territories
b) soldiers
c) empires
d) civilisations

2. The word scarce in line 9 is closest in meaning to

a) abundant
b) shortage
c) surplus
d) rich

3. The word they in line 15 refers to

a) the Minoans
b) the Iliad
c) the Mycenaeans
d) the Odyssey

4. Which of the following was NOT mentioned in the passage?

a) the Greeks were great thinkers
b) the Greeks were great politicians
c) the Greeks were great warriors
d) the Greeks were great chefs

3
5. According to the passage, who gave the name Greeks to the people of Greece?
a) the Greeks
b) the Olympians
c) the Romans
d) the Oracles

6. Why did the Greeks sail into the sea?

a) to trade and find new areas
b) to conquer other civilisations
c) to catch seafood
d) to travel and take a break from their works

7. How long have people been living in Greece?

a) 11,000 years
b) 14,500 years
c) 22,000 years
d) 40,000 years

8. According to the passage, why was the period after 1100 BC called the Dark Age?
a) there was a plague that killed most of the population
b) we barely have evidences about that time
c) it was the darkest time in the history
d) the architectures were mostly painted in dark colors

9. What can be inferred about the Greek civilisation?

a) they came before the Romans
b) they were only good at trading but not fighting
c) they were all rich from growing olives
d) they lived only in the Greece mainland

10. What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?

a) the origin of the Greek civilisation
b) the Greek inventions and achievements
c) the way of life in Ancient Greece
d) different groups of people living in Greece